All it takes
by moonlight64
Summary: The battle is over, but for Tauriel this can't be the end. If she is to live, then just with Kíli by her side . Thus, she is willing to give up everything to get him back. Who knew that by loosing everything, one could get all they ever wanted... (everyone lives)
1. Hope

**Enjoy ;)**

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Heavy rain was pouring down on her as she walked along a lonely road with an unknown destination ahead. The drops, heavy and cold, were whipped around her petite body mercilessly. But Tauriel did not notice, nor did she care. The violent shivering, caused by the biting nightly winds which are reaching their deadly fingers out to caress her skin, had long ago numbed her body.

All she could feel now was the heavy weight of her heart, for it was filled with pain, regret and unfulfilled promises.

It had been three days since the battle had ended. Three days since there was no place for her in this world anymore. The doors to her home had been closed the day she had chosen Kíli over her king's order. The weight of her decision might not been distinct to her at that time, but even now that it was, she was more certain than ever that it had been the right one to make. Of what use would she have been, as the commander of the guard, if she disagreed with her own king and was even willing to raise arms against him? Of what use would she have been, knowing that her heart belonged somewhere else? Even if she could, Tauriel would not go back. She didn't belong there anymore. But the place she desired to call home, the place her heart longed to be, had been taken from her. Three days ago.

After the battle she had wanted to stay, really, but that day the dwarfs had lost three of Durin's sons. They did not want an elf, one of the enemies, around to see them grieving. No one had asked her to leave, but the hatred and the pain in their eyes was all Tauriel needed to know.

No one, not even those of the company who had gotten to know her, had lost a second to the thought that she had lost someone as well.

And so she had left, fighting the tears she did not dare to cry. Honestly Tauriel had not known where she was going, and still she didn't. All she knew was that once she would sit down, which she had not dared to do any time since she left, she would not get up again. The pure exhaustion she felt was no excuse.

If she would sit down, her mind would start processing what had happened; her thoughts would drag her into darkness.

She walked through the night for a long time, not wanting to see anything. Occasionally a tear would fight its way up, only to be angrily wiped away a second later, while greedy flames, full of despair and guilt, were eating her up on the inside until only a fading breath of nothing would be left.

Tauriel was so focused on the crashing worlds within her that she did not realize where her path led until she stood in front of an old wooden gate. Behind it lay a small village Tauriel had never laid eyes upon. It looked as uninviting as she imagined herself to be in the very moment. Though she found herself knocking and if it was only out of the slightest crumb of hope left within her that she would be welcome.

A few seconds of silence followed and then a smaller shutter slightly above the level of her eyes was opened. Tauriel could see a pair ob black eyes glaring down at her, but no one spoke. She just could not bring herself to say a word.

" Who has come to us in the darkness of the night if I may ask?"

She finally got herself to speak. " I'm... I'm just a wanderer."

" How does it come that lady travels alone at night? Where are you going?"

" I do not know." She lowered her eyes in embarrassment. She should never have knocked on that gate in the first place. This was a waste of time.

" Well then what brings you to us?" The voice on the other side of the door had a kind touch to it, even though the eyes were cold.

" The... The storm... I... Maybe..."

" Well, come in first of all. We have never denied a traveler the access to our place." The heavy gate made a scratchy sound and a moment later it was opened just wide enough for Tauriel to fit through the gap. The person she had been speaking to was an old man, smaller than she was, hunched over and clad in a dark cloak.

" From the North, huh?" He said under his breath and gave her a sign to follow.

The houses were old fashioned, built out of wood, and not very pretty, but once the old man had led Tauriel inside of an especially rotten building, she was surprised to find a warm and dry room, filled with people. The conversations that had been lively ongoing before came to a sudden pause as the people's eyes fell on her.

" Found her in front of the gate, all shivery and wet." The old man reported to a woman about the same age who stood behind a counter and looked at her like she had never seen an elf in her life. And maybe she hadn't, since Tauriel had no idea how far she had actually walked.

" Well, my dear, for tonight this may be your place!" The old woman said after a few seconds of awkward silence. " What was your name again?"

" Tauriel." Her voice was smaller than expected and she blamed herself for breaking so quickly.

" Oh well, just make yourself comfortable and let me know if you need something, alright?"

She nodded and quickly searched the room for a place where she would be hidden from the other people's gazes. A broad window next to a small fire place was the perfect spot for now and she went to sit in the very edge of the window frame.

On the other side of the room the conversations continued.

The unavoidable was no longer to be delayed, so she leaned her head against the glass and let herself drown in sorrow.

It was not likely for her kin to show emotions, except for anger maybe, especially with people around who might observe it. She had, for a long time, been taught to that emotions were for mankind, only meant for a lifetime, not for eternity.

But right now, with tears running down her face in steady, silent streams, she not care. She had never been good in acting over it anyway. What was the point of it, to be crying on the inside, screaming silently for release that wouldn't come, only to keep a cold masque on the outside.

The rain was whipping against the window, and for the first time since the battle Tauriel did not try to push her thoughts away. Images of all kinds started running through her head and she could see them all clearly in front of her, each worse than the previous one. It started off with her own past, her earliest memories of death, then went on to life she had left behind.

Then the image of her first meeting with Kíli came to her mind. To see his face clearly in front of her, grinning nearly rudely, looking up at her, caused an awful pull in her chest. A quiet sob escaped her and she quickly covered her mouth, pressing her hand nearly painfully against it.

But the images didn't stop. She remembered their first conversation, about the stars and their light.

But ever since Kíli had died, the sky had been clouded. Her thoughts went on, to the time she had nearly lost him for the first time. Then their good bye... The rune stone! She gracefully fished it out of her pocket and stared at it lying in her hand. Oh had she been naive to believe that she could live without him... Maybe it was true what they said, you never know what you have until it's gone.

Guilt tightened her chest, her throat, making it hard for her to breathe. If she just had gone with him.

Someone suddenly came walking into her direction, she could hear the person approaching without even having to look up from the rune stone.

It was the old lady, Tauriel realized and a second later she indeed spoke up. " My dear, I do not want to interrupt your privacy, but I just wanted to check on you..."

" It's okay." She brought out, her voice hoarse.

" What could have happened to such a beautiful young lady that would drag at her heart with such weight..." Tauriel could tell the old lady way seriously sorry for her, which was in a way moving. She looked back at the stone in her hand, the lady's gaze following hers.

" What is this?" She asked with genuine interest.

" It's a rune stone... It bears a promise between two people."

" Is it a tradition where you come from?"

" Not exactly." She smiled sadly. " It was given to me by one of Durin's sons."

" Oh I see." The lady said and then stopped in track. " But if I am not mistaken your kin and Durin's folk have had some... difficulties in the past. How..."

Tauriel really appreciated the old lady's attempt to make her feel better, but currently she did not help much with it.

" I loved him and I let him go. He gave me this stone as a promise to reconnect. But now... he is gone." Honestly Tauriel had no idea where that came from. She didn't even mean to tell anything about herself.

The old lady seemed to read her expression, as she just simply said " Well, you know what they say, my dear. If you truly love something, let it go. If it comes back to you, it's yours forever." With a small smile she got up and went back to the counter where she came from.

But Tauriel knew there would be no coming back. Kíli was gone and she would spend her eternity in grief and regret. There was no point in living forever if it just meant the pain would never fade.

Sighing she leaned her head against the window again. This just didn't feel right, this could not be the end. She could not sit here forever; there had to be something she could do... Whatever it might be. Tauriel was willing to move heaven and earth all by herself.

She would bring Kíli back from the dead, whatever it might take. Though she was aware that she might either succeed or die trying to do so, but either ways, what did she have to loose? She would not spend an eternity asking herself '_what if...?_', knowing there might have been something she could have done.

With a swift movement she got up and started for the door. She knew exactly where she had to go.

Before she could open the door, the old lady was at her side again.

" You know, there's always a spark of hope in the world, my dear. It it falls upon the right people, who knows which great fires can arise from it."

" Thank you so much." Tauriel said sincerely and with a small smile and a tiny nod the lady held the door open for Tauriel to hurry through.

After she closed the door again, the lady turned around to her husband who looked at her curiously. " What was that about?"

"Well," She said with a little chuckle, " I think I just saved someone's life."

And even though she had not meant it literally, she had no idea how right she was.

**_To be continued..._**

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** Hang on, floks ;) Everyone will live, yay!**


	2. Search

Once she was out of the door, Tauriel had started running. It was still raining, but somehow the night didn't seem all that dark anymore. There was still hope. But right then, her hope depended on the one person she was going to search for. Probably the only person who could help her. But where should she start looking? In the north? In the west? Tauriel didn't even know where she was currently.

Still, her uprising hope pushed the remaining worry away with every second that passed.

'_If just I could see the stars...' _She thought to herself. It would've been much easier to get around indeed, but like all of her kin she had a decent sense of orientation and could see well in the dark.

And after all the person she was searching for could be anywhere... It did not matter whether she went north, south, east or west.

She had left the lights of the village behind a long time ago and after a few more hours, it began to dawn. At one point even the rain stopped, only to start again five minutes later.

Now that there was hope, she looked back at what had happened. If she had not been so busy with her own grief, she might have realized much earlier that this was not over yet. But instead of using her brain, she had acted like a child. She had not been of any use, not for Kíli, nor for herself. She had been weak.

_Grief is not a weakness..._ A voice in the back of her mid told her, ... _Love isn't either._

She pushed those thoughts away. She would have been weak if she had given up. But that was not going to happen, not now, not ever.

Tauriel had followed the road for some time, but once she spotted a few smaller mountains located behind a forest to her right, in the otherwise flat landscape, she had started for them instead, leaving the road behind. It would give her an overview of her surroundings, maybe she'd even be able to see another village.

After a couple feet into the forest she had to admit though that this path was not made for walking. But there was no going back, no wasting of time. She had spent her whole life in a forest, she knew what she was doing. Or she thought so anyway.

When she had entered the forest, dawn had started, but now that she was inside, it refused to get any brighter. Occasionally she'd her sounds, too loud to be caused by small animals, and desperately wished she still had her bow. The only weapon at hand was her intellect. And maybe one or two daggers. Still, in case of a fight she'd definitely be lost, so what counted now was to detect danger in advance and avoid trouble as far as possible.

Without making a sound, she moved through the undergrowth, always on alert. This was not a save place nor one she'd stay longer at than necessary.

Though she was telling herself the place was just playing with her senses, she felt like someone was following her, watching her from close by. But as leader of the guard, she had grown to trust her senses. They had never let her down.

So she quietly got on one of the trees, continuing her way high above the ground. If there was indeed a stranger following her, they would not be able to follow her on this path.

It didn't take her long to cross most of the forest. Most of the trees stood so close together that she could easily jump from one to the next without being slowed down. But when the edge of the forest came to sight, the trees got more spread and she had to get back down to the ground.

Once she had walked a few steps she could sense it. She didn't even need to turn around to know. Behind her, only a foot or so, stood her pursuer with bow and arrow, aimed at her head.

But she was not yet defeated; with a sudden, more than quick movement she had her dagger at his throat. And there they stood, arms raised against each other. It only took Tauriel a second to know everything she possibly could about this person. Human, male, tall, not very skilled with bow and arrow, she could definitely tell that, from a city that could not be too far away. A hunter maybe, or a very bad guard. He definitely hadn't seen her attack coming. And obviously, from the way he looked down at her, he had no idea who or _what _she was.

" Who are you to sneak around in our forest?" He finally spoke up, hostility clearly in his voice.

" Who are you to call this forest yours?" She responded calmly. He would not shoot her, she could see it in his eyes.

The guy glared at her, unsure whether he should answer or not.

" This forest belongs to the people in my town. Always has. I am one of the hunters."

" Where is the town you are talking about? Behind the mountains?"

" Yes and no. Kind of but not really. "

" What does that mean? I have no time for jokes, _faron_!" Tauriel hissed at him. Slowly this stranger was getting really annoying.

" _Faron_? Is that some kind of insult?! Who are you to insult me in my own lands!"

" I will tell you what it means and who I am if you lead me to your town."

" Why would I do this? I don't care who you are."

" Well, there's a dagger at your throat..." She said matter-of-factly, " And I am certainly not a person you would want to be in trouble with."

He actually seemed quite intimidated, even though Tauriel was almost a head shorter than him.

" Okay." He said and slowly lowered the bow, " I will lead you to the entrance, but you will have to go in by yourself."

She mentioned him to go ahead. They walked in silence for some time but then the guy spoke up again. " So, what does _faron_ mean?"

" It means 'hunter'." She had no intention on having a longer conversation. All she needed to know was where she would find what she was looking for.

" You know, you got some quite impressive skills... How does it come that a lady is so keen in the arts of fighting?"

" How does it come that a hunter is not?"

They fell silent again, the only sound being made by the hunter's steps.

Once they reached the food of the biggest mountain, even though it wasn't quite that big, Tauriel knew what he had meant with 'yes and no'. The town was not behind the mountains, but under the mountains. Not like Erebor, but more like a tunnel, leading down to a sort of cave. This was not even as big as the smallest of Erebor's halls.

It was not like she had actually ever seen the kingdom under the mountain, with all its halls and glory, but Kíli had told her about it. He had told her exactly what it looked like, of course not every place, but just his favorites. She felt like she knew exactly what it looked like. And this was completely different.

" Here we are." The man grumbled, " Now go ahead and do whatever it is that brought you here." He turned around and walked back to where they came from.

" Thank you." Tauriel shouted after him and he must have heard it, since he lifted his hand in acknowledgment before disappearing.

Quickly Tauriel walked towards the entrance, already spotting the guard.

" Sorry, but you can not pass without the mayor's permission." One of the three men spoke to her as she was close enough to hear them.

" I wish to talk to him only for a few minutes."

" Sorry, but we cannot let you pass."

" I only have a few questions, I can talk to anyone who is willing to talk to me, really..."

The man shook his head. " We are not allowed to let anyone pass."

Tauriel took a deep breath and changed to plan b, which just popped up in her mind.

" Well, then maybe you can help me. Have you ever heard of lady Galadriel?"

" Who is that supposed to be?" Another guard asked.

" If you do not know, then you cannot help me. What about Gandalf the Grey?"

" Never heard of him either..." The third one said. " But maybe I know someone who has."

" Who?"

" She's an elder, one of the wisest people I have ever heard of. Her name is Iridia. Lives in the next town. It's five hours to the west from here. If you take the tunnels. If you take any other way, it might take up to two days."

" And where are those tunnels you are talking about?"

" The only way is through this entrance." He admitted.

" We can not let her pass." The other guard reminded him.

" I know... But what if we make sure she doesn't get to the city, just to the tunnels?"

" You are out of your mind, brother, we have orders!"

" But, you know, they never said one needed the mayor's permission just for the tunnels."

Tauriel followed the discussion with interest. Maybe, just maybe luck was on her side for once. Suddenly one of the three left, after exchanging a long glare with his fellows.

" What's your name?" One of the two remaining guards asked.

" Tauriel."

" So, Tauriel, what makes you want to find these people you were asking about so badly?"

" It is a matter of life and death, please, I don't have time."

" Well, what are you willing to risk for it? Because if they catch you I cannot tell you what exactly will happen, but it's not going to end well."

" I will risk everything." Her voice was determined. " Just get me to those tunnels."

And as if on call, the third guard came back and mentioned her to follow. The other two remained at their positions. " Thank you..." She said before quickly running after the guard leading the way.

It took only a few minutes, steady going deeper, until they reached the first tunnel.

" So is this the way?" She asked, whispering.

" No, we have to go deeper. This one leads to the city." The guard said quietly.

Tauriel actually wondered what the city looked like. Maybe, one day, when Kíli was alright again, they would come back.

After another couple minutes they reaches a smaller, darker tunnel.

" This is it... Looks scary, but is alright. People from the city go here every day, doing business or visiting other folks."

" Are there any turns I have to make?"

" Always go to the right, never to the left then you should be alright."

" Thanks so much, I shall always remember your kindness."

" 'tis alright... We don't have folks like you crossing our borders very often, so why not do a little help for one. Maybe one day we will need yours."

Tauriel nodded once, showing her respect, then turned to the tunnel. It lay dark and uninviting in front of her, but it would take a little more than that to make her nervous. With long, quick steps she walked into the darkness.

For a long time she heard nothing, saw nothing and just walked, always keeping in touch with the right wall of the tunnel. The unnerving dreariness made mind race. How would she be able to find the woman? What if she had never heard of the people in question either? What if she didn't even want to talk to Tauriel?

Her biggest fear was not the journey being in vain, or her always being at risk, but what really nagged at her heart was the fear to let Kíli down.

Quickly she pushed those thoughts away. They would only cause her to be distracted from the task at hand. If there would be a task except for plainly walking in darkness.

Suddenly she heard footsteps and stopped in track. They were heavy and in coming closer quickly. For once she was glad that it was plain darkness. If she would just keep quiet, maybe the person coming would not even notice her. She walked on quietly, paying attention to every sound. To her luck, they didn't even seem to know that someone else was there. Honestly, even for her excellent eyes, it was too dark to tell if the stranger was male or female. Once the steps faded behind her, she picked up a faster pace again. Only then she noticed that even though she had always been living outside, with nothing else above her than the sky, the huge mass of stone over her didn't intimidate her or made her feel uncomfortable. Oddly, it felt perfectly normal to her, even though it shouldn't. She only missed the stars and their light. If she had a choice though, she still would choose to live under the sky and not under ceilings made of stone.

She walked for a long time, letting her thoughts flow freely. There was nothing to do anyway. And even if most memories hurt painfully, she knew the pain was not meant to last. She would exchange the memories of pain with ones of joy and the ones of death with ones of life.

After what felt longer than five hours, she started to see the tunnel getting brighter and brighter. Eventually, she stood at the end of it, looking into a small but high hall. There were many sources of light which she could not spot though and once she continued walking, she got to a gateway. Two guards stood beside the entrance to the city.

" May I ask what your reason for requesting access to this city is?" One of them said.

" I am visiting someone. I came a long way, from the other side of the tunnels." She said confidently. Maybe that would do the part. She didn't look all that different from the humans anyway, except for her ears, her hair and her clothing maybe, but who knows, maybe they did not know much about the town she came from.

" Whom do you desire to visit?"

" I am here for lady Iridia."

The guard talking to her gave his fellow a quick sign to which he received a nod as answer.

" If you would please follow..." He said and walked off, Tauriel following.

They walked through even more tunnels, those ones were light, and only stopped in front of a small house.

" Here it is, you may go in."

And Tauriel did so, wondering about the weird way of treating visitors these people had.

Inside the house time seemed to stand still. It had furniture in it, but was so quiet and lonely that Tauriel wondered if the woman was actually living here.

" Hello?" She asked into the room ahead, " Is someone here?"

Slowly, one step at a time, she walked into the room, searching for someone. Only when she came to the living room, she saw the elderly lady sitting on a cushioned chair.

" Welcome, Tauriel. " She said warmly, pointing to the empty chair next to her. " I have awaited you."

_**To be continued...**_

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**Hope y'all enjoyed this chapter!**

**I would be so happy if you could give me some feedback :3 **


	3. Danger

" Welcome, Tauriel. " She said warmly, pointing to the empty chair next to her. " I have awaited you."

" You are Iridia?" Tauriel asked slightly irritated.

" This appears to be the case, doesn't it?" The elderly woman said with a soft chuckle. " Please, have a seat."

Following the order, Tauriel sat down next to her. " How did you know I was coming?"

" Oh well... I have my ways. But now on to you." She looked at Tauriel. " I am not surprised that they let you pass."

" Oh, actually they just showed me the tunnel, I was not allowed into the city."

" I am not talking about the guards, my dear." She was clearly bemused by Tauriel's confusion.

But Tauriel had no idea what to think of this lady, mysterious as she was. " Then who are you talking about?"

" The ones who live in the tunnel. No one has ever laid eyes upon them though. Our people have tried to get to the other side as long as I can think, but only few of them ever made it. The other ones..." She trailed off, looking at Tauriel as if she expected an answer.

" But the guard, he told me the tunnel is frequently used by your people for trade! He said there was nothing dangerous about it..."

"Well, if he had told you that far more people went missing than made it to the other side, would you still have chosen this way?"

" Of course!"

" Then it wouldn't have mattered if he had told you the truth, right?" The elder smiled.

" But how do you know who is allowed to pass and who is not?" Tauriel frowned. " When I walked through the tunnel, I saw someone... I cannot tell if it was a man or woman, but they walked by me with heavy steps."

" Interesting..." She just said and changed the subject. " So now that you are here, may I ask what the reason of your visit is?"

" I was told that you might know lady Galadriel. I came in the hope that maybe you knew where I could find her."

" Yes, I do know her indeed. Why is it that you are searching for her? Your matter of concern must be very serious for you to come such a long way..."

" It is. It's a question of life and death. I do not have much time."

" Well, whatever your intentions might be, the ones in the tunnel let you pass because of it. So I will not stop you either." She took Tauriel's hand in hers and closed her eyes. "There is something about you, Tauriel... I can feel it, but it may not be described by words. Your intentions are pure, just as your heart." She opened her eyes again and fixed them on Tauriel's. " You may not be able to find whom you are looking for, but when time is right, she will find you."

With that she released Tauriel's hand, still looking her in the eyes.

" Please excuse my rudeness, but who are you?" Tauriel couldn't help but wonder.

" Well, the better question is not who I am but who you think I am..." The old lady lowered her head and looked at Tauriel through her lashes, giving her a small wink. Then she got up and walked to the door before turning around once more. " This might not be the answer you have expected, I'm sure, but it's the only one that needs to be given." She smiled kindly. " Your venture is of great honor and compassion. I hope with all my heart that you will succeed." With that she walked out of her own door, making Tauriel jump up and follow, but even though she reached the door within seconds, the lady was gone.

Confused, Tauriel left the house and stepped onto the path that had led to it. She had not gotten a chance to reply, nor to thank her. And now, what was she supposed to do?! The lady had said when the time was right, Galadriel would find her. She could not be found. But didn't she realize that there was no time to lose? There had to be something she could do, something to speed things up, but no, she had not gotten any clue about what to do. When was the time right after all?!

First of all she needed to get out of this seemingly endless system of caves and tunnels. But that was not going to be easy; this was just so complex! She started walking along the path, which eventually led her to a bigger tunnel, brightly light and with no visible end. Even a great sense of orientation did not help her here, this was a totally new world. Kíli on the other hand would have done just fine, she thought and immediately a wave of sadness washed over her. But anyway, she kept on walking through the tunnel, from time to time walking a few feet down a connecting one only to realize that they all continued and turned a thousand times. This was a giant maze under a mountain!

Soon she walked back the same way she had come from; maybe she would be able to find the way the guard had led her. But even though she tried really hard, using all her senses to try and recognize something, she could not find the way back. The next best alternative was to find a house. But every tunnel just lead to more tunnels and the only house she could find was the one she had come from. If this was a city, where were all the houses, all the people?

She tried again to go back the same way she had come. But this time she closed her eyes and concentrated on what she heard. This way she actually managed to get to point she recognized, but only to be stuck again. She stood at the end of one tunnel, leading into four others. No wind, no sounds, no other indicators on which was the right way. So she just stayed and waited.

But she didn't have to wait long, as suddenly guards appeared, one from each tunnel.

As if this wasn't weird enough they shouted different things in a language she didn't understand and started running towards her, some slower than others. She could tell this would not end well, but when she was being honest, there was no way she could have escaped, there was no place to go.

They seemed confused to see her standing perfectly still, not trying to run. The only thing she did though was hiding her daggers, careful, for no one to see. If this was going to end badly later on she at least wanted to be somewhat armed.

" What are you doing here?" The first one to arrive shouted. " No one has access to this area!"

" I am lost." She simply said. " I just want to find a way out of the mountain."

" How did you get here in the first place?" The other guards arrived the second he said it.

" I was visiting lady Iridia. A guard brought me to her house, but I got lost trying to find the way back." Honesty was probably the best option.

The guards exchanged a knowing look, not unnoticed by Tauriel, and moved to encircle her.

" I am sorry but we need to arrest you. You'll be taken to the mayor for a trial."

Slowly she took a step backwards, but her back hit the tip of a sword and she knew that she would have to follow their orders.

" What am I arrested for?" She asked, trying to sound calmer than she was. Being taken to the mayor at least would prevent her from getting lost in the maze of tunnels. Under different circumstances she would have fought the four of them easily, they were clumsy and slow, her trained eye could tell that already. But now, she didn't want more trouble than necessary.

" For now, for the unauthorized accessing of the city and for lying to us."

Tauriel had no idea what they were talking about, she was not lying and neither was her access to the city unauthorized.

" Just follow and be quiet." The first one, obviously the leader, advised and started walking into one of the tunnels.

While walking she thought that if those guards were under her command, they'd all get their butts kicked. They did not even bother to check if she was armed, nor did they follow any other basic rule. But this was only to her advance, she could just escape any minute if she wanted to. That thought was actually incredibly calming.

" So what makes you think I am lying to you?" She finally asked. If she would actually have to defend herself in front of their mayor she wanted to be prepared the best she could be.

" You said you were visiting Iridia."

" Yea, that's true. I was seeking her advice."

" Lady Iridia disappeared over five years ago, her house has been empty ever since. No one has visited her in a very long time."

" What? But I just met her at her house! Why would I even know of her if I wasn't telling the truth? As you might have noticed I'm not from here." She just couldn't believe it, those guards had to be kidding her. " And one of yours even lead me to her house."

The guard in the front stopped in track for a few seconds, considering her argument, but then walked on. " We will see what the mayor says to this."

They came to another crossing, and followed a tunnel that was going upwards.

Tauriel was sure this was not the way she had been coming, this was much longer. When they came to another crossing, she suddenly felt a light breeze coming form one of the tunnels. But it was not the one they were going into. This was her chance, should she follow them in hope to find another exit or should she count on luck and take this tunnel? In a matter of seconds she decided that this was a strange place, and strange places required unusual methods. Additionally, she had always been a little reckless so why not now?

With one quick movement she knocked out the guard closest to her. He didn't deserve it any better, he had been standing too close which is always a major mistake. Before the others even knew what was going on she was already onto the next one, catching him off guard and in an instant he lay next to the first. The third one got to grab her arm, but it simply took a skilled turn and a little tug and he was lying on the ground too. The last one was a little harder to take down, he had better skills than the others, but even he eventually got to experience Tauriel's amazing combat skills.

She didn't even have to use any weapon.

Groaning in pain, the four men lay on the cold stone. They weren't going to get up any time soon, but they would live.

Quickly Tauriel went back to the crossing that only lay a couple feet behind and went into the direction the slight wind was coming from. She was quite positive about this way leading to the surface as she ran through the tunnel, steadily going upwards.

After a few minutes she reached a huge hall and immediately spotted what she was hoping for. A break in the stone wall, displaying the darkening sky. But once she got to the place and took a closer look she realized that she was not on ground level, but about 200 feet up a cliff.

She was standing at some kind of window like balcony inside the mountain wall.

Sighing she closed her eyes for a second to compose herself but then walked right up to the edge to look down. It was a straight wall, no platforms or other edges. But then, for once, luck was on her side. Far down was wide river which seemed deep enough to allow a jump from this height. She could not spot any rocks or such thing.

This was by far more reckless than fighting a bunch of untrained guard members, but from her evaluation it was her best possible escape. If she stayed here or went back down she would either be lost or get arrested.

Sudden shouting and hurried steps in the far back of the tunnel she had come from strengthened her decision. This was the only way.

She had never been afraid of heights, nor of water, but this sent an unpleasant chill down her spine.

_For Kíli..._She thought and jumped.

With her eyes closed, she only realized that she had reached the bottom once she hit the water. It was painful for sure, but not as bad as she had expected it to be.

The water was freezing cold, but she didn't mind. She actually had survived a jump out of probably more than two hundred feet. It was not pride she was feeling, but a slight tingle of happiness and excitement. The next difficulty would be to get out of the river, the water had more pull to it than it had appeared.

After a few minutes of fighting, the cold started to bite awfully, like fangs ripping her body apart. Struggling to keep her head over the surface, she was thrown against rocks and sharp edges until finally she got a hold of something. The something turned out to be a fallen over tree, lying half in and half out of the water. Relieved she pulled herself up onto it and walked towards the edge, always careful not to slip on the wet, mossy parts.

Once she had solid ground under her feet, she did a quick check for injuries but found nothing more serious than deep blue bruises. That wasn't something new for her.

Next she checked if she had lost something to the roaring waters, but it was all in place.

To a certain extend relieved, checked her surroundings. It looked totally different than the place where she had first entered the mountains.

Instead of a gray, dark forest, she saw only a few trees in between an otherwise utterly rocky landscape. Gray stones, spiky and sharp, of all sizes and shapes arose from the ground, creating an uninviting area. Still, it was better than the maze inside the mountain.

Freezing, she started walking into any direction, not sure what to think of the previous hours.

Finally she decided that she would just take a quick rest to get her thoughts straight, since from every corner of her mind another piece of information was screaming at her.

She sat down, leaning against a tree, and just let different things come up.

The lady, what was it about her? Missing for five years? But she clearly had not spoken to a ghost.

It was all very confusing, but she still chose to believe in what the elderly woman had said. When time was right, Galadriel would find her instead. But when was the time right? And what would she do until this time? She could not simply wait, do nothing, waste her time. There had to be something!

_The only answer that needs to be given... _The sentence swirled around her head but she just could not tell what was it that bothered her. Did she know all answers already? But right now she had a million questions that desperately needed an answer! Or maybe not? She wanted to know what to do now... She had to wait... And she wanted to know where to find Galadriel, but she was not to be found. Maybe this was really the only answer that anyone could give her.

After a few minutes she got back up and continued walking.

The cold water added to the strong wind made her nerves go numb, her hands and feet were barely movable. But for once it was not raining, but the sky was clouded, just like the feelings of sorrow, of pain, of hope she had had before were now clouded by simple hopelessness.

Another hour, or maybe more passed until she reached the obvious edge of the stone field. Another cliff, but this time so high up that she did not dare to think about it. From this place she could see to the end of the horizon. The lands on the bottom of the cliff were flat, mainly, and of so many different kinds that she just as well could have seen middle earth laid out in front of her.

For some time she walked along the edge, looking into the distance. Under different circumstances this would have been a perfect place for her to admire the beauty of the world they were allowed to live in. The cliff took a turn on one side and once she walked around it, now facing into a different direction, she could see it. The lonely mountain, far in the back, but still clearly visible if it was not surrounded by shadow.

The view made her heart heavy once more. But this would change, all of it. The shadow ought to be banned and the clouds and the rain with it. The times of sorrow would come to an end.

Suddenly she heard sounds behind her, still distant enough to give her time to move away from the edge as far as possible. If she stood too close to the edge she would be trapped.

Getting her arms in position, she observed every inch of the area around her.

The moment she spotted the first person was the moment they attacked. They had not managed to entirely surround her, but most area was covered. _They_ were a bunch of people, men, maybe six or seven.

Their arms, swords, bows, axes, daggers, were superior to hers in every way and they seemed quite skilled with it as well.

But Tauriel did not panic. It was one of the many things she had learned over the years of training, never panic or you have already lost.

Quietly, observing, she stood in their middle as they got closer. She needed to come up with something _now_!

" Who are you?" She shouted, loud enough for them to hear.

" No one." Said one of them.

" And everyone." Said another.

" What do you want from me?" She asked, calmly.

" Well," The first one spoke up again, " What do you have to offer?"

" Nothing." She laughed, but it was a cold and kinda cruel one. " Do I look like I have something to offer?"

" I know where you are from. You cannot tell me that you don't carry anything of value with you." The second one said. All others remained silent. Occasional glared fell upon the first who had spoken up, then at the second. For Tauriel this was highly interesting. If she could not beat them by combat, which was yet to be proven, she would have to simply outsmart them.

" Oh come one we don't have forever."

" Neither have I..." She said and stabbed the one closest to her in the leg, then in the shoulder. Six remaining. The next one to be closest had already lifted his sword to attack, and Tauriel could barely react and move away before he hit her. Unfortunately the next one was already at her side, his sword hit her arm only slightly as she kept on moving through the blades, blocking them as well as possible. Those guys have had good practice, their skills weren't even that good, but simply the way they functioned as a team and their brutality which was even pretty on the point.

She could not win this fight, and she knew this, but still, she had an idea.

More or less gracefully she dodged another blade, but the very edge of it left a small cut on her cheek. She actually managed to take down one or two more, but still too many were remaining.

Being focused on so many things at the same time, she only saw it coming in the last second. Without enough time to move away properly, she could only lead to the side, the blade leaving an incredibly burning cut along the side of her rib cage.

It did not only infuriate her, but also gave her the perfect opportunity to stop the fight. The man who had spoken to her in the beginning, one of the two, was standing in front of her and all she did was stabbing him in the knee to get him down to the ground and then held a knife to his throat.

" Stop, right now!" The other man who had talked to her shouted at his companions.

Immediately they stopped in track, observing what was going on.

Still in the middle, Tauriel stood with the one guy kneeling on the ground, his back to her, all the while holding her knife against his throat with light but evident pressure.

" Please, brother..." The man on the ground begged to the other one.

" Let him go!" The other one growled.

" I don't even think of it." She hissed, then realized a movement nearly behind her and added, " Go ahead, try to kill me, but if you knew the difference between you and me, you knew he would be dead before you even reached me."

" No! Everyone, back off!" He shouted, eyes still fixed on his brother on the ground.

" If you want him to live, you give me that bow of yours, and throw the other weapons off the cliff." She said calmly. This was their weak spot; _brothers..._

The one guy looked at her for a moment, then at his brother's pleading eyes and said " Do what she said."

" But boss..." Someone in the back said.  
" NO! Go do it, NOW!" He shouted and as if awoken, all the men fulfilled Tauriel's demand, some complaining, some with pure hate in their eyes. Every weapon wandered off the cliff until only the bow remained. The guy lowered it on the ground, together with a hand full of arrows, poorly made ones, but still, and then backed off too.

" Now let him go." He said, his voice angered.

Tauriel did let him go indeed and instantly fetched the bow. It was not as good as the ones she was used to but she would not complain about it now that it was hers to use.

All the men gathered a few feet away from her, some barely help upright by others.

" I'm sorry" The one guy said to his brother.

" You stay at home next time!" He answered coldly, but still embraced him in a hug.

" Seriously, we got beaten by a _girl_!" Someone said and it was the last thing Tauriel heard.

They were so busy with themselves that they did not even notice her disappearing in the dusk.

She ran a couple of minutes, the cut on her side making it difficult to breath. The few other injuries were only minor, at least for the moment, but the cut had her worried.

How the guy had managed to hurt her this badly, even with all her armor, was was close to a miracle. Too bad all the weapons had to wander off the cliff, she would have loved to see a sword that was capable of doing such thing.

Once she felt like she had gotten to a save distance, she lowered herself to the ground to inspect the damage.

The cut on her arm was nothing, really, it might leave a scar, but it was not deep enough to be of her concern right now. Same counted for her cheek. She had gotten a deeper cut on the side of her hip, but even that just required smallest treatment.

The one on her side was not deep but painful though. But painful was better than life-threatening.

Eventually she'd be okay.

Then, she looked at the bow more carefully. It was neat, not as bad as it had seemed at the first glance, but of very fine quality.

But thinking of those two guys, brothers, she was faced with something else.

She had been thinking about it before, pushing it back, but now she just had to go with it.

Even if Kíli could live, what about Fíli? She could not bring Kíli back just to watch him being pained by his brother's death till the end of his days. She had gotten to like Fíli, and he didn't seem to think too bad of her either. And what about Thorin? They were a family, they would never be happy without each other. Personally she knew that Thorin didn't like her, nor approved of Kíli's feelings for her, but respected him in _some_ way... And if he was important to Kíli, he shall be important to her too. Fíli likewise.

She closed her and leaned her head against the closest object. As if saving one life was not difficult enough, saving _three_ lives was insane. It was simply impossible. She didn't even know how to save Kíli, let alone two others with him.

But still, for some unknown reason she didn't let go of the spark of hope she had been given. She just couldn't. But sitting there, alone in a field of trees and stones, treating her injuries, hope was the only thing that kept her going. Taking a deep breath, she just knew it. She would save them all, there was just no other way.

As hard as it might be, the only things impossible are the ones you give up. And she would not give up.

Suddenly, as if by magic, she heard a voice. She was not sure if it was inside her head or not, it was just there.

"_I heard you were seeking my advice..." _It was Galadriel's voice.

"_Indeed that is true, hiril nín. I have been searching for you."_

" Your quest has come to an end, my dear." Suddenly there she was, walking towards her out of the dark. Instantly Tauriel stood up from where she was sitting and lowered her head and her view in respect. How was this even possible?

" What you desire to know is quite unusual as I might say." Galadriel said gently, standing right in front of Tauriel now. " And now with something else to mind, what you desire is impossible."

To hear the words out loud caused her blood to freeze and burn at the same time. She could see her hope fading, but, so could Galadriel.

" There is no way that I can save them. But that does not mean that every hope is lost... There is a way to bring them back to live. This is not the kind of magic you might have in mind; for this..." She looked Tauriel in the eyes, "...the price you will have to pay is high."

" I would give everything I have."

" You will have to..."

_**To be continued...**_

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**This is sooo long! ;D**

**Hope you still like it! If you have any thoughts please let me know :3**


	4. Sacrifices

**A.N: For all of you who thought the last chapter was weird: Yes it was. It was meant to be weird though. Gandalf will explain it to you later on...**

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" I would give everything I have."

" You will have to..."

Tauriel had not the slightest amount of fear within her. She had meant it, she would give everything, unconditionally.

" But I must warn you, Tauriel..." Galadriel said, " It will not be easy."

" What is it?" She was anxious though to know what to do. " What do I need to give?"

" In exchange for three dwarven lives, you will have to give up parts of yourself..."

" What do you mean?"

" In order to give them a mortal life, it takes an immortal one."

Tauriel was not sure if she should be shocked. She had known that it would take her a lot more than just asking for it. " So I will die?"

" No." Galadriel said with a somewhat sad smile, " You will live, but the spark of your kin will leave you forever. Since it's dwarven lives you are giving, it's a dwarven lifetime that you keep."

" How is this possible? I have never heard of something like this. Why is it not done more often?" Tauriel wondered. The fact that she would have to sacrifice a large part of herself was only of lower importance.

" It has been done. But way in the past, long before our kin became the way it is now. We do not have friends outside our own kingdoms, we do not have anyone we think is worth this sacrifice. You cannot give an immortal live to save an immortal one. And this is why it has faded into a hollow shadow of a memory, not more." She said those words with a light but unmistakable hint of disgust and sadness in her voice, as if she actually deplored it. But then she went on. " When you become mortal, everything will change. You will no longer have the abilities of our kind, though you will still look the same."

" It does not matter; I would do it even if I would not live. This is already more than I can ask for." Tauriel was completely sure about this, no doubts left.

" Well then..." Galadriel said sadly, " Farewell, daughter of the forest..." And then she spoke words Tauriel could not understand; She only could _feel _them. It was as if she was falling, only surrounded by light and air. Weight started to drag her down to the ground then, pulling at her body almost painfully. It was a feeling of death and of life at the same time.

And all of sudden it was over, every light gone, every pain vanished, only the feeling of weight remained. Tauriel has had her eyes open all the while, but only now she could see. She was looking up into the night sky, filled with millions of stars. It was a view so strange and yet so familiar. As if she had never seen the night sky before and yet knew that this was home.

Every feeling of time was lost on her, she did not know how long she looked into the sky, nor how long she had been lying on the ground. But once she tried to sit up, the felt the weight again. It was a strange sensation, yet not unwelcome.

She could feel life running through her, in a way she never had before.

_This is what it feels like to be mortal, _she thought and concentrated on every feeling she could comprehend. Only then she realized that she was alone once more. And that if she could feel what she did, then Kíli, Fíli and Thorin were alive.

_Times of sorrow are over, _she thought, _times of change will come._

Carefully she stood up, realizing that the weight she was feeling did not prevent her from moving quickly and somewhat gracefully. Not like she used to, she had to admit that, but for _almost_ human, she was not doing too bad. Eventually she would get better.

Then she picked up the bow that was still lying on the ground a few steps from where she was standing. Trying to draw it, she actually felt a huge difference. It was still not too much of an effort, but in comparison to before, this felt a lot more exhausting.

Now what counted was to get back to Erebor. She could not wait to see life in the eyes lastly seen under the glaze of death.

That was if she would actually make it back to the lonely mountain in one piece. She assumed it would be about a day and a half of walking, maybe less, depending on what way she found.

Who knew what could happen on her way, now that she was more vulnerable than ever before it was even more important to be careful.

She could not climb down the cliff, there had to be another way, but where was it? It was completely dark and even with the stars giving enough light to see the outlines of her surroundings, her vision was limited. It was something that she would not get used to so quickly.

Still, she started walking towards the cliff once more. Maybe if she would follow it, there would be some opportunity to get down. And indeed, after a time of search longer than she would have liked, there was a small path along the otherwise straight wall of the cliff. It was only about two feet wide, but every other way would have taken far too long. She'd be fine, for sure.

Careful not to underestimate neither the danger of the path nor the new features that she was still adjusting to nor the darkness, she walked along the path with her back pressed against the stone wall. At least no one was reckless enough to walk this path, besides her, so the chances for trouble of that kind were close to zero.

Sometimes the path would get wider, sometimes even narrower, which forced her to concentrate the best she could. After, supposedly, hours of going down and holding onto the wall the best she could, the bottom got close. Relief streamed through her, only distracting her for a second and before she knew what was happening, a part of the stones she was standing on gave in. Unable to regain her balance, she was caught off guard and together with the stones she fell, hitting edges and sticking out rocks on her way down.

Roughly she landed on the grassy area at the bottom of the cliff. Having only fallen about twenty feet, it didn't even take her half a minute to be up on her feet again. Luckily the little incident had not caused her any more injuries than she had anyway, if anything, it only had made them hurt a tiny bit more than before. At least she told herself so.

Her next realization was that the bow in fact was not broken, nor damaged, as she had expected. Quietly thanking whomever was responsible for her luck, she went on walking. If she could just walk straight into the direction ahead, her way would lead her directly to Erebor.

Recalculating her way, it might now only take a day and a night of straight walking.

Around afternoon was the time she first felt exhausted. Disappointed in herself for being exhausted so quickly, she continued anyway. There was no time for breaks, nor the need for one. It was simply the adjusting that made her feel a little washed out.

The landscapes she walked through changed quickly, sometimes there would be a forest, the next hour green plain grass, and again an hour later she would find a mixture of both. When the sun was about to be replaced by the moon, Tauriel had to take a break. Even if it made her furious, she just could not walk any longer without a break. Her eyes started to search her surroundings and stayed on a small river crossing her path. She felt like her throat was on fire, like she had eaten dust and stones. It was not hard at all to get down to the water and she could more or less comfortably crouch on a small stone in order to drink something. It was still kind of foreign to her to have to rest or drink and probably eat at the most inconvenient times, but it was just as fascinating as it was annoying.

She kept sitting at the river for a short time, watching the stars coming out, until she felt like she could go on. It might just have been five minutes or less, but for her it felt like that was already more than enough. Not because she felt any less exhausted but because she wanted to get to the mountain so desperately that it didn't matter if every muscle in her body ached.

The next few hours passed without any problems occurring. But once she got to places she recognized, she became lightly nervous. She could still feel the presence of death growing with every step she got closer to the battlefield. Too many had lost their lives here, and she felt guilty for whatever reasons. Death had never been something she could deal well with.

She had to rest one more time, but she only stayed for not more than two minutes. It was better than nothing after all.

Then the battlefield came into her sight. Pictures she just remembered all too well started flooding her mind, but she pushed them aside.

It was close to dawn when she actually reached it, and even though it was still mostly dark, there were dwarfs and men likewise all over the place. Some collected weapons, some carried bodies elsewhere. But once she crossed, they all looked at her. Some only for a moment, some until she was nearly out of sight again. Her vision at night might be limited, just like her ability to hear even the tiniest noise over far distances, but she apparently had not lost her sense for the people around her.

She walked straight up to the gaping hole in the wall of the mountain which was supposedly the entrance. But before she could get close enough to be able to say more, two dwarfs stood in her way. " The armies of king Thranduil left days ago."

" That may be, but I am not one of his puppets..." She said, distracted by the entrance. Actually she did not even think about how she would actually get into the mountain. She still looked like her kin after all, even if that was the only connection left. Why would they believe a word she said? Sighing on the inside she blamed the stubbornness of dwarfs for it. This never fought war between the two peoples, with all the biased hatred, was something she just could not understand. Most of the dwarfs and even many of the elves were too young to actually have lived at the time it had all started. If it was not for the stubbornness of two kings, things would have turned out differently.

" What do you want here?" He kept asking.

" You are not welcome here." The other one said coldly, earning himself a glare from the other one.

" Is there someone I can talk to? It is important." She simply said.

" I doubt you will find anyone who is willing to talk to you." The second one grumbled into his beard.

" Only one out here you migh' wanna see is Bofur. As a former prisoner of yours..." The first one said, a little friendlier, but still not pleased with her being there. But seriously Tauriel did not care what they thought of her. If people liked to think of her badly, then they should do so.

If she remembered correctly, Bofur was one of the dwarfs who stayed behind in lake town. He should still know her.

" I would very much appreciate that, thank you." She said politely. Grumbling the second dwarf left, mentioning her to follow. He led her to some kind of tent and then without a word turned around and left again.

Straight forward she went to enter the tent, obviously interrupting a heated discussion.

" What is she doing here?" Someone whispered into the otherwise silent room.

" Tauriel..." Bofur was there indeed. " What are you doing here?"

" It is important. Where are Thorin, Fíli and Kíli?" She chose the other with caution.

She saw some shift uncomfortably, others having sadness to their face.

Bofur looked down, obviously not knowing what exactly she wanted to hear. " They are gone." He finally said. " The battle, they..."

" No, I mean where are they _right now?_"

" Bein' prepared for the ceremony, inside the mountain."

" How can I get there?"  
" Uhm... Why?"

" They are not dead!" She just said it as it was, " Not anymore at least!"

" That fella got hit in the head during the battle..." Someone murmured and some chuckled.

" I'm sorry Tauriel but I really can't help you... They are gone, that's just the way it is. You should go home." He said apologetically.

" Is Gandalf still here?" She asked suddenly as she was already about to leave.

" Aye, should still be around somewhere, probably with Bard. Biggest tent around, can't miss it." He said before turning back to his mates.

If the dwarfs did not believe her, maybe Gandalf would.

The tent was easy to find, but not easy to enter as she was stopped before she could go in.

" Who are you and what is your matter of concern?" Someone asked.

" Who I am is not important and I need to talk to Gandalf." She said sharply. All those people didn't understand how incredibly important this was, but on the other side, how could they...

" Who desires to talk to me?" Gandalf stepped out of the tent and looked at Tauriel. " I would introduce myself but I feel like you already know who I am."

" I'm Tauriel." She said simply, unsure of what else to add.

" Oh, I know who you are..." He chuckled warmly, " It's a pleasure to meet you after all."

Though she wondered how Gandalf actually knew who she was she said " The pleasure is all mine, _saelon._"

" Nah, I'm not that wise..." He gave her a wink. " What is it that you want to talk about?" The way he looked at her told her he knew. He would know that she was telling the truth as he could see the evidence of it standing in front of him.

" They live..." She said quietly. " No one believes me, and I admit it sounds insane, but it is true."

It didn't take him more than a critical look at her to start hurrying towards the entrance into the mountain, Tauriel following close by.

Still she got many skeptical views and as they were about there, someone blocked their way.

" She is not going in here." He said to Gandalf. " You may pass."

" Don't be stupid," Gandalf replied, " one day you shall thank her."

That confused their opponent but with a dark glare he let them pass.

Once they were inside, Tauriel realized that Kíli had not exaggerated. This place was truly breathtaking. But there was not time for staring as Gandalf led her through different halls up to a closed, wooden door which he through open. But he did not enter the room, instead he let Tauriel pass first. She noticed, of course, but decided not to comment on it.

It didn't even take her a second to forget it, all of it. Once she saw what lay behind that closed door.

_**To be continued...**_

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**So this was shorter... But I will probably write the next one to be up on Saturday :)**

**Hope you liked it :3 **

**...so much fun to write...**


	5. Calm before the storm

It didn't even take her a second to forget all of it. Not once she saw what lay behind that closed door.

Three tables in an otherwise empty room. And upon that tables rested Kíli, Fíli and Thorin.

But they were not moving.

"_Ú-chenion..._" Tauriel said, more to herself than to anyone else, looking at the still bodies upon the tables. She walked over to stand besides Kíli and looked down at him. His eyes were closed and if she had not known any better, she would have thought he was sleeping. "_Melleth nín..._" Her voice was filled with hope and yet also with sadness. " Please, Kíli, wake up..."

And if she had not seen Gandalf appearing out of the corner of her eye, she would have continued to talk to him.

" They will wake up," He said reassuringly as she turned around to face him, " Just give them the time they need."

Nodding, Tauriel sat down next to Kíli's table. " I will wait here until they do wake up."

" Nah, but if I see this correctly you might want to rest...?" He raised an eyebrow at her, " You have a long journey behind you."

" I will not rest until they are alright."

" Well then..." Gandalf murmured and sat down in a corner of the room, " I will wait with you." But as soon as he had made himself comfortable, he closed his eyes and leaned his head against the wall.

Tauriel for her part was just tall enough to rest her head against the upper edge of the table. Still clad in full armor, it was not comfortable, but it would do. From time to time she would find herself awaking from some strange state of unconsciousness only to go back to it once she checked that Kíli was still behind her on the table.

Occasionally she would talk to him, telling him about her journey or her struggles to adjust to being mortal or simply about ancient stories. She knew that he could not hear her, but she liked talking to him anyways. It had a calming effect on her, even if he did not answer. Just talking to him made her feel better. And since Gandalf seemed to take no notice of her, she would continue for a long time.

Exhaustion dragged at her, making her mind foggy and her body heavy, but she couldn't help it; she was resting after all and still she did not ever feel any better. Wanting them to be awake was her only motivation.

After a few hours she got so uncomfortable in her spot that she got onto her knees and looked down onto Kíli. His face was peaceful, his clothing, just like the other two's, fine as if for a feast.

Without thinking about it she took one of his hands that was resting upon his chest and held it in between her own. It was neither warm nor cold. She just wanted him to be back alive...

" Tauriel..." She heard Gandalf's voice from behind her.

She turned to see him slightly pointing towards another table with a light movement of his head.

Instantly she rose to her feet and walked over to the table Fíli was lying on. She could see his eyelids fluttering and then suddenly he opened his eyes slowly. Now Gandalf was standing next to Tauriel, looking town at the young dwarf.

" Where am I?" He asked, his voice hoarse.

" Home..." Gandalf answered, " In the halls of Erebor."

" But... I was dead..." He looked completely confused. Then only he turned his head and saw his brother and uncle. " What... Kíli... Uncle..."

" They will be fine, just like you." Gandalf smiled. " It is alright, the battle is over, the mountain yours."

Overwhelmed by the whole situation, Fíli closed his eyes once more and sighed. With his eyes still closed he then asked. " I was dead. The dead cannot simply wake up again."

Gandalf looked at Tauriel, who had no idea what to say. She didn't want to tell Fíli about her involvement just yet. Maybe not ever. No one ever would have to know.

But luck was not on her side and Gandalf obviously wasn't either, as he said. " You should ask Tauriel that..."

Immediately Fíli opened his eyes and looked at her. " Tauriel... What are you doing here anyway?" His voice was not filled with hatred as the ones of many others she had spoken to, but with curiosity and warmth.

" I... ehm... I came here to tell that your lives have been spared... That you would live!" She was an awful liar, sometimes.

" Why do I have the feeling that that is not entirely true?" Fíli asked, trying to sit up.

" Go ahead. Tell him." Gandalf encouraged her.

" Tell me what?" Fíli was now sitting with his back against the wall behind the table.

And so Tauriel went ahead and told him the short version of the events of the previous days, leaving out as much as possible.

" But wait, what exactly did you exchange our lives for?" He seemed just as confused as fascinated.

" It was my life for yours..." She felt utterly embarrassed saying it. Calling attention to herself this way had always made her feel uncomfortable. "I am mortal now, just like you... Lost all elvish characteristics except for my appearance." To make it sound like a simple trade and less like a kind of sacrifice would maybe do the part.

Fíli was stunned. And that even was an understatement, he was totally shocked. " Why would you do this, I mean save all of us? You could've saved just Kíli if you wanted him back... It would have saved you a lot of trouble!"

" And he would have been burdened with grief for the rest of his life. I could not have done this to him, having him live and you not..." She simply said and looked at Gandalf for help, but he just looked at her with the same interest as Fíli. " He cares about you. And I care about the people he cares about."

" You really love him, don't you...?" Fíli said suddenly, a slight smile playing on his lips. Tauriel heard Gandalf chuckle behind her. " Yes," It was simple as that; it was no secret.

" When will he wake up?" Fíli asked, and both he and Tauriel looked at Gandalf once more.

" Soon..." The wizard said, " Show a little patience."

" You still should rest." Tauriel said to Fíli. " I will look over them, I promise."

He nodded and laid back down. " But tell me immediately when something happens, just in case..."

Tauriel went back to her spot next to Kíli, while Gandalf headed for the door. " I will be back. Soon." And with that he left.

" Hey Tauriel..." Fíli said once more, making her look at him, " Kíli's lucky to have you. We all are."

A few more hours passes and Tauriel found herself more and more anxious. Maybe it was because she kept fading into that strange unconscious state, maybe it was because Gandalf had not returned yet or maybe it was simply because she was impatient.

Becoming mortal, only having limited years to live, had completely messed up her sense of time. Sometimes things would feel like a few minutes but actually be hours and hours, but then at times things that lasted only a shorter time would feel like forever.

Her head was still leaned against the table, and so when she felt only the slightest movement, she was up on her feet.

Slowly Kíli opened his eyes, once he did so, a smile came to his lips. " Am I in heaven?"

Tauriel couldn't help it but leave out a strange sounding laughter, triggered by relief, happiness and the sudden urge to cry which she desperately suppressed. " No," She finally said, " I'm not letting you go there yet."

" You live..." His voice was just a whisper, but still loaded with emotions.

" Yea..." She couldn't help it anymore and a happy tear made its way down her cheek. " And you do too..."

" Hey there..." Fíli said from next to them, giving his brother a wink as he turned his head towards him. " Glad to see ya movin' again!"

" Fíli..." Now all three of them had tears in their eyes. " How is this possible? You... I... I saw you die!"

" Well, I am just as alive as you are... And uncle will be fine too."

" But how? What has happened? How long have you been awake?"

" Not more than a few hours..." Fíli looked at Tauriel, his brother's eyes following.

That moment Gandalf came back, smiling at the sight of Kíli being awake. " Welcome back..." He said and went to sit back down in his corner.

" Tauriel..." Kíli said suddenly and she was sure that she would never forget the way he said her name. Not after thinking that she would never hear it again. With one hand he reached out and twisted a strand of her hair around his fingers, making her smile. They just stood like that in silence for a few minutes but it felt a lot longer. Eventually he let go and turned to look up at her. " I knew you would save me, amrâlimê..."

She smiled at him, ignoring the fact that Fíli and Gandalf could see and hear them. It simply did not matter at all.

" See, I also knew that you know what that word means..." He gave her a wink. " What I did not know is that you had the ability to bring back the dead... Please, how is this even possible? This seems more like a dream than reality."

And so she told him as well, still leaving out major parts of her journey. All he wanted to know was how it was that they could live after all. Whenever she left something out she had told before, either Fíli or Gandalf would _kindly _remind her. During her explanations, Kíli's expression grew more and more amazed until he was looking at her in total awe once she was finished.

He could not bring himself to say a single word, still, he wanted to say so much all at once. Having lost his speech, he simply took her hand, interlaced their fingers and laid it onto his heart.

" Aww, isn't that cute..." Fíli commented from the side, but was sincerely ignored by everyone else.

" _Le uivelin, le melithon anuir. Guren min gaim lín..._" Tauriel's voice was quiet, yet confident in the words she spoke. She did not know if Kíli would understand it, but this way she could say what she was thinking.

And obviously he did understand her, as his whole face brightened up and the corners of his lips pulled up into a heartwarming smile. " I would return every word if I was capable of speaking as well as I understand... _Melleth nín..._" He said the last words with a wink and Tauriel had to smile at his attempt to speak her language.

" Whatever it is you just said, I am sure uncle will not approve of this... of you." Fíli said, his voice compassionate. " He will not let her stay here, Kee..."

" No, he won't indeed..." Gandalf murmured, " Prepare, this is only the calm before the storm..."

And as if he had heard their words, Thorin opened his eyes.

**_To be continued..._**

* * *

**_A.N:_ Here's the translations for what Tauriel and Kíli say:**

**_Ú-chenion_ = I don't understand**

**_Melleth nín_ = My love **

**_amrâlimê_ = Love of mine (Kíli's language)**

**_Le uivelin, le melithon anuir. Guren min gaim lín._ = I will always love you, I will love you forever. My heart is in your Hands.**

**This was not too long, but just wait until Thorin wakes up... And you thought Smaug's awaking was bad... Haha!**

**Thanks so much for the comments and all the love :3 Will update soon, promise!**


	6. Chaos

" Whatever it is you just said, I am sure uncle will not approve of this... of you." Fíli said, his voice compassionate. " He will not let her stay here, Kee..."

" No, he won't indeed..." Gandalf murmured, " Prepare, this is only the calm before the storm..."

And as if he had heard their words, Thorin opened his eyes.

Kíli sat up lowly, still holding Tauriel's hand, but his eyes never left his uncle on the table next to him.

" Maybe I should go..." Tauriel said quietly and tried to free her hand.

But Kíli would not let her. Instead he looked at her confidently. " I won't let you leave me..."

And so she said, standing next to Kíli's table, as they all watched Thorin awake.

" What..." He mumbled and tried to sit up, his eyes still half closed.

Suddenly Gandalf rose to his feat and walked up to Thorin's table. " Welcome back, my friend..."

" Where are my nephews? What... How... Why am I alive?"

" We're here!" Fíli said and got up from the table.

" Are alright..." Kíli added and got up too, pulling Tauriel with him.

Finally when Thorin sat at the edge of his table, he looked at the people in front of him. The relief to see his nephews alright only lasted a second and once his eyes fell on Tauriel, his jaw tightened.

" What is the she-elf doing here?" His voice was quiet, cold and utterly threatening. His question was basically aimed at Gandalf. " Who. Let. Her. In?"

" Thorin..."

" Uncle!"

" NO!" He screamed and turned to look at Tauriel again. " Get out! NOW!"

Tauriel already prepared herself to leave, feeling like all air had left her lungs, but Kíli only tightened his grip on her hand.

" She is staying or I will go with her." He answered coldly.

" You can't be serious..." Thorin hissed. " This is not a game, Kíli!"

" No it's not indeed."

After a few seconds of glaring at each other, Thorin simply chose to ignore her for the moment.

" What happened?" He asked instead, spitting out every word.

" If you had just listened to me for a second instead of acting like a madman you would know by now!" Gandalf responded in a matter-of-fact manner. Thorin let out an annoyed groan but waited for Gandalf to continue.

" First of all, you did die during the battle and so did Fíli and Kíli..." He started, looking at everyone in the small room until his eyes stayed on Thorin.

" Yes but how do we _live_?!" Thorin grumbled.

" Because of Tauriel." Kíli said before Gandalf could give any other answer. " She saved us all!"

" Nah... And you believe that?! We were certainly not saved by an _elf_!" The disgust was still very present in every word he spoke.

Now it was Tauriel who had to tighten her grip on Kíli's hand to prevent him from starting something he would have regretted later on.

" But it is true, uncle!" Fíli said, " She saved us."

Thorin looked at Gandalf who only nodded. " It is true indeed, Thorin, if you like it or not."

" How could she even do that? She's not any more special than you and me!"

" She gave her _life_ for us!" Kíli was close to shouting, but just close, " How can you be like this?!"

Tauriel would have loved to say something, but she did not want to mess with yet another king, so with every self control she could summon up, she stayed quiet. Still, there were so many things she desired to say.

" Thorin, you are blinded by your hatred." Gandalf said carefully, but got interrupted.

" Why would you save us? Why would you save the people you hate so much?" Thorin looked at Tauriel expectantly.

" I don't hate you..." She said calmly, " I saved you because I care about the people Kíli cares about."

Thorin let out a bitter laugh, almost cynical. " Did you expect me to thank you for it? To be the next best alternative after you after king Thranduil banished you from his lands?"

" How did you hear of this?" Gandalf asked, honestly surprised.

" Everyone has heard of it, 'tis not something that happens every day..." Thorin grumbled.

" What?" Kíli asked suddenly, ignoring his uncle and instead looking at Tauriel in shock, " He banished you?"

This was totally not the right time to talk about this. " Yes, but I do not belong there anymore, so it does not matter."

" _You_ belong nowhere." Thorin said. " And if you hoped that I would let you stay in _my _mountain, you are mistaken."

" She belongs with me." Kíli said in return, " If there is no place for her in _your_ mountain, there is no place for me either."

" Don't make a fool out of yourself, nephew, there is no way I am letting an elf stay here."

" Technically..." Fíli said slowly, " …She is not an elf anymore..."

" Fíli..." Thorin warned, but got no response.

" He is right..." Gandalf added, " Her years to live are the ones of a dwarf, her looks are elvish, and all the rest... Entirely human."

Thorin turned his head and threw Gandalf an 'are you kidding me' glare, but Gandalf just shrugged. " 'tis just the way it is, Thorin, just... You know..."

Thorin looked back Tauriel, narrowing his eyes into tiny gaps. " You will not stay inside my mountain and that's it. If human or not, only dwarfs stay inside this kingdom!"

" What about Bilbo?" Kíli asked, the slightest hint of a tease in his voice, the rest, utterly reckless.

" And Smaug?" Fíli added. He had done it once and he would be on the side of his brother again and again. Except for that, Tauriel was a good fella, she made Kíli happy and that is all Fíli wanted for him. So, if she happened to be an elf or human or whatever be it that way. Fíli liked her.

" She stays outside! I don't care where she goes as long as it's not inside our mountain."

" Okay..." Kíli said calmly, " Then I will stay outside too."

" Kíli..." Tauriel said warmly, " Don't... It's alright."

" No it's not alright. I _died_, and now that I live again I will not be separated from you. Not even by my uncle." He spoke to Tauriel but kept looking at Thorin.

" You are a prince of Erebor, dammit Kíli, start acting like one!" Thorin shouted at him.

" Right now he is doing so more than you." Gandalf scolded. " This fight is going nowhere! Neither of you is going to change their mind like this! We should move on and let the folk know that their king and their princes have returned to them."

" Right..." Thorin said bitterly, " We are lucky to be alive after all..." With one last glare at Tauriel, then at his nephews he followed Gandalf out of the room.

This was certainly not over yet.

Inside Tauriel's head the world hat started spinning already some time ago, but now she felt like the whole ground was shaking and trying to get her to fall. From time to time her knees would give in for a fragment of a second and eventually she had to let go of Kíli's hand to steady herself on the table behind her. Once Thorin and Gandalf were gone the tension from the previous fight had suddenly left the air and therefor she was now desperately clinging to the table to not fall over.

" Tauriel? Are you okay?" She only heard Kíli's voice somewhere very far away and his face in front of her started to get more and more blurred until finally her legs gave in and she first fell into the table, holding onto it and quickly standing upright again. The spinning had stopped and she just felt slightly weird, but otherwise pretty much normal again.

" Woah, what was that?" Worry was clearly audible in his voice.

" Nothing, my mind was just being weird..." She said, not sure of what he wanted to hear.

" You okay?"

" Yea yea... It was nothing, really." He did not quite buy it, but didn't comment on it any further.

" Hey, let's see what is going on outside!" Fíli said, " Really could use some ale after all that trouble... If there is something."

" Did you see anything of the mountain yet?" Kíli asked Tauriel, smiling, excited.

" No time... Have been sitting next to you for about a day and before that there was just a lot of running and trouble and hurrying..."

" It's not quite as amazing as it used to be, a lot is damaged, crashed or simply old. A dragon's never that great for the decor..." Kíli said and made both Fíli and Tauriel laugh.

On their way through one of the halls they suddenly were surrounded by all members of the company and some others. A loud and happy crowd started filling most of the hall and Tauriel moved to stand at the side, not wanting to interrupted the moment. With her eyes she followed Kíli around and she could see him searching the hall for her until their eyes finally locked and he waved her over. Uncomfortably she walked over to stand next to him. She really did not want to destroy their happy moment with her mere presence. Certainly most people must be as upset about her presence as Thorin.

But once she stood with Kíli, she realized that instead of glares of hatred, she was now greeted by happy smiles and excitement.

" Aye, I knew she was a good fella righ' from the beginnin'!" Someone said.

" Nah, c'mon you were totally clueless just like everyone else..." Someone else responded, making Tauriel smile.

" So glad to have ya' all back..." One of the dwarfs she had seen before came up to Kíli and embraced him in a warm hug. Once he let go he looked at Tauriel for a long moment, then back at Kíli. " Don't let Thorin get in your way, she's a good one." With a wink he turned around and vanished in the crowd. Kíli looked up at Tauriel and winked. " They're totally lovin' ya' already... Just a little stiff in showin' it!"

Shaking her head, Tauriel smiled. Maybe this would not be entirely impossible after all.

Eventually the crowd dissolved, wandering off into every direction until only the three of them remained.

" Now?" Fíli asked, " You thinking what I'm thinking?"

"How could I not?" Kíli grinned and pulled Tauriel after him and Fíli.

" Where are we going?" She had actually no idea what was supposed to happen now that she had actually done it, brought them back. What now?

" Nah... It's a surprise!" Kíli grinned.  
" Oh c'mon, just tell her." Fíli smiled as well.

" No, that would be no fun!"

Now, she thought, was the time to _live_.

Even though she was still feeling a little dizzy and something she could not quite name, excitement won over her. She had grown up in such a disciplined place, with no such thing as silliness or chaos. It was so distant from what life felt like to her now. She found herself enjoying the chaos.

On the way to wherever they were going, they passed many impressive halls and bridges and every time she found herself staring at something, either Kíli or Fíli would point out something even more impressive just to see her amazed face.

She wondered if ever anyone besides the dwarfs and Bilbo had seen this. Whoever Bilbo was, she had heard the name so often and she knew that he was a hobbit, but she had never met him. Maybe she would, one day.

Finally they seemed to have reached their destination, as both Kíli and Fíli stopped in front of a closed door and turned around to look at her.

" C'mon, close your eyes..." Kíli grinned.

" No... No, I..." She had never liked this game. Her vision was one of the things she valued most.

" Oh please, amrâlimê..." His eyes were literally glowing with excitement. There was no way she could say no to him.

Having her eyes closed, she was carefully pulled into the room, she noticed the change in lighting, smell and even temperature. They made her sit down on something and then she waited. She heard muffled laughter and some things she could not lay her finger on.

Finally something like a cup was placed in her hands and they told her to try it, eyes still closed.

" I don't need any weapon to kill you two, even now that my abilities are limited, you know that, Kíli, don't you?" She said teasingly, but smiling. It was a miracle how so much anxiety and tension could be gone so quickly.

" Can I open my eyes now?"

" First try..."

Without further thinking about it she lifted the cup to her lips and tried a little sip of its content.

It tasted bitter at first, but then again not that bad. It had a weird taste to it though... Much like the wine she had never wanted to try.

She tried another sip, this time a little bit more only to regret it a second later. It was now indeed very bitter, still not bad, but very foreign.

She heard Kíli and Fíli laughing and opened her eyes.

" Oh man, you should have seen your face..." Fíli laughed while Kíli took the cup from her.

" What is this?" A smile was playing on her lips. _Chaos..._

" It's ale..." Kíli took a sip himself and pulled the same face Tauriel had made which made her laugh in return.

" But this is definitely a couple years too old..." He laughed and looked at Tauriel apologetically. " Sorry, really didn't mean to ruin it for you."

Fíli still didn't believe them and found he had to try by himself. He tried at first but then emptied the whole cup. " You two are such children, 'tis totally alright!"

" Well, we came here in vain, I guess..." Kíli said to Tauriel, " We can just leave him here, you know..."

She grinned which turned into a laughter as she saw Fíli's expression.

Soon after they left again, making their way back, but not quite.

" We should see how far they have gotten with repair work, especially in any kitchen... Being dead makes you hungry!" Fíli said, Kíli agreeing.

" Hey, when exactly did you enter the world of the _actual_ living again?" Kíli asked suddenly, and right after he said it she could see that he would like to take it back if that was possible. But it was a totally legitimate question.

" Uhm, about... two or three days ago, depends on what time it is now."

" Have your ever eaten something? Or drank anything? Or slept?"

She thought about it for a second. " Uh I think I once drank something..."

If there had been a wall in immediate reach, Kíli would have hit his head against it, but now worry and a slight sense of humor replaced that idea.

" Do you feel weird somehow or not really as well as you could?" He tried to formulate it carefully.

" Or simply completely awful?" Fíli added.

" I'm alright, really! Maybe a little off, but I'm sure that's nothing serious."

Kíli did not believe her a word, but took her hand and had to suppress a smile as he said " Did anyone actually tell you how being mortal works?"

She laughed at that question. " No not exactly, but it's not that difficult, really."

" Nah, c'mon, let's get you something to eat and drink." He said and walked off, pulling her with him once more.

Once they came into the first hall, they crossed paths with a group of dwarfs. Only when they were close enough they realized that Thorin stood right in the front, staring at Tauriel and Kíli. His eyes wandered from their faces to their interlaced hands and back up.

Tauriel's first instinct was to let go, but Kíli wouldn't let her.

" Didn't I make my point clear enough?" Thorin still sounded grumpy, but not straight out furious as before. " Get her out of here!"

The crowd around Thorin broke out of their staring and started mumbling.

" We are looking for food and water." Fíli simply stated.

" You can go to the kitchen closest to the great hall, that one is being cleaned and food is brought back in." Said one out of the crowd and earned a glare from Thorin.

" You..." He looked at Tauriel, " Get out here. Now. And you," His eyes fell on Fíli and Kíli, " better get going. Help is needed everywhere and I cannot have you stroll around with nothing to do."

" As I said before, I am not going to stay if Tauriel is not staying." With that Kíli and with him Tauriel walked into the opposite direction, towards the great whole in the mountain's wall.

" Nah, sooner or later he'll be hungry and thirsty... That kid doesn't know what he's doin'..." Thorin grumbled and looked at Fíli who was still standing in front of him.

" What has happened to you... Before the battle, we thought you were _you _again, but now look at you... You are not the man I died for." Fíli said simply and went after his brother.

Outside, Kíli and Tauriel were greeted by freezing cold air and a moon just about to rise. The night had only just begun and here they were, no water, no food and no place to sleep. Even though they were finally together, this was going to be a long night.

**_To be continued..._**

* * *

**Spoiler allert: They will still stay _around_ the mountain, so no worries... ;)**

**Hope you liked this chapter and a mad Thorin... Hehe... Let's just say he comes to sense sooner or later!**

**Yay for Fíli being super cool and supportive of their relationship! **

**Next chapter will probably have a little more romance since this is lacking some... So just hang on ;)**

**thanks everyone :3**


	7. Under starlight

" Maybe we should get up to one of the plateaus, that way at least we have an overview of our surroundings and are somewhat protected from the wind." Tauriel suggested as she scanned the surrounding area for a place to stay.

" Good idea..." Kíli answered and pointed to a place above them. " See, that one up there? I have been there before, it should do." Then he looked back at Tauriel. She hadn't slept in days and honestly, climbing might not be the wisest thing for her to do right now. Some might call him reckless, but with her he wasn't. He knew that she could very well take of herself, and even of him too if he failed to do so himself once in a while, but he also knew that she needed help with being, almost, human.

" We should ask for water and maybe some food first..." He said then, " If luck is on our side, Bard's people can help us."

" They do not have much..." Fíli mentioned as he stepped up behind them. " They will not share their food with the ones who caused them so much trouble."

" We should try at least, afterwards we will know more in any way." Tauriel suggested.

And so they started for the tents of the humans, Fíli ahead, Kíli and Tauriel following.

As many people as they asked, they all could not help. They barely had enough for themselves and the little they had, the three of them would not take away.

Resigned, they went back to where they had come from. But to their surprise, someone was waiting there for them. As they got closer, they realized that in fact it was three persons and not just one.

" Here, take this..." One of them said as they had gotten close enough. He handed over a box, another one a jug. " Don't tell Thorin that it was us..." And he hurried back towards the mountain.

" He will realize what he did soon enough, just wait..." The other one said and gave them a small wink before heading back as well, together with the third one.

" Who was that?" Tauriel asked, half in disbelieve and half in amusement.

Kíli looked at Fíli for an answer and then back at Tauriel. Both shrugged apologetically. " Some of our kin who obviously know us better than we know them."

" Told ya they love you already..." Kíli smirked and raised an eyebrow at Tauriel.

While this, Fíli had opened the box only to find bread, a few pieces of chicken and seed cake.

" Where did they get all this? It's only been about a week since the battle!" He asked in surprise.

" Never underestimate hungry dwarves..." Kíli answered in surprise and awe.

" This is very generous of them." Tauriel looked at the food with interest.

" Alright let's get up to the plateau and then eat!" Fíli said and started for the path leading up.

It didn't take them too long since it was not very high and the path was easy to follow.

Finally they sat down with their backs against the wall of the mountain.

" So is this what you normally eat?" Tauriel asked curiously. If she would get to stay here indeed, she wanted to know everything she possibly could.

" Well, yea... Just usually it's a lot more." Fíli responded with a slight smile.

" Didn't you eat before?" Kíli wanted to know. He had no idea about how elves lived.

" Uhm... I would most likely eat at feasts... Or at any special occasion... But not on a daily basis!"

" You will have to now. But that's a really good thing, I love food!" Kíli laughed. " You will enjoy it, it's very entertaining too."

They finished their meal in silence, but since it was not too much the silence didn't last long enough to be uncomfortable.

Sighing, Fíli got to his feet. " I suddenly feel like I had not just slept for a whole week... My eyes will barely stay open! I better lay down." With that he moved a few feet away and took his place near a rock rich he leaned against, facing away from them.

Kíli was completely sure though that his brother was just as awake as he was, but if he wanted to sit alone then be it that way. The though that he might have wanted to give them a little privacy for the first time since they had woken up did not occur to him until a few moments later.

" I do indeed feel a lot better..." Tauriel remarked suddenly, " I underestimated the importance of water especially."

" I noticed..." Kíli said, somewhat amused, " It all must feel pretty weird to you..."

" Not weird, just different. But I like feeling alive." She smiled and leaned her head against the stone wall, looking up into the sky.

Kíli followed her gaze and a smile came to his lips too once he saw the countless stars in the otherwise black sky.

" You should rest..." He finally said. " It's been far too long that you've gone without."

" I am resting..." She laughed, confused at his request.

" No, I mean you should sleep!" She was just too adorable when she was confused.

" Oh... Well, what do you mean by sleep?"

" Do elves not ever sleep?"

" Sort of... They rest, occasionally. Just sit or walk and concentrate on their thoughts."

" So you have never _really_ slept? Ever?" He chuckled slightly. " It's the easiest thing indeed, believe me..." Honestly he did not know how to explain to her how to _sleep_. It was like explaining to someone how to see or how to breathe. " You will feel a lot better."

Even in the dark he could see the slight blush creeping up her cheeks.

" I feel foolish..." She admitted, "... for not knowing such an easy thing."

" No, please don't! Please don't feel embarrassed or foolish or such thing around me. I would need to feel embarrassed at the count of how many times you had to save my life. But I don't because with you I know I don't have to be." He was being completely serious, yet he smiled.

" Fine..." She said and smiled back, " I won't feel embarrassed about my utter inability to act like a decent mortal being." It made him laugh in return.

" You have me to help you out with that after all..." He winked at her. " But now, lay down."

" Why?"

" Because you need to sleep, seriously Tauriel, I don't want you to pass out suddenly, which is very likely going to happen if you do not rest."

She really did not want to worry him, so she obeyed and lay down. " Is it supposed to be cold and uncomfortable?" She asked sarcastically.

" Actually, yes." He answered in the same tone, just to tease her back.

She looked up at him and grinned. " Then everything is alright..."

Without thinking much about it, he moved her so that her head way lying in his lap. The moment he touched her side though, he could feel her whole body flinch. Her face showed an expression of utter pain, which she tried but failed to hide.

" I-I'm sorry, I really didn't mean to-..." He stuttered, worry in his voice and eyes.

" No no, it's alright, you did nothing wrong..." She reassured him, smiling slightly. After shifting a little, she was resting comfortably and looked up at him.

" What about your side? From what I saw on your face it hurt really badly..."

" It's nothing... Just still healing, like the rest. There is no need to worry."

" The rest? What happened to you out there...?" She could not count the expressions on his face, but worry and shock were clearly among them.

" I will tell you tomorrow..." The smile on her face seemed to make him feel better.

" Alright... Now, close your eyes."

She just could not bring herself to do it.

" What is it?" He asked.

" I'm afraid that once I open my again I realize that this all was just a dream... That it's not me walking in starlight in another world, but you..."

He smiled slightly, as this was the reason he would not sleep that night. " I promise you, once you open your eyes, I will be here."

Sighing, she closed her eyes indeed, but Kíli continued to look down at her. Even with that little scratch on her cheek, she was the most beautiful he had ever laid eyes upon. Others will not understand it, he knew that, but he did not care. They would never need to understand, as he claimed her to be his only.

Just looking down at her filled him with such joy and peace... But eventually he could not withstand the temptation and so leaned down to breath a feather light kiss to her lips. It made his heart leap and his whole body tingle in a way that nothing before had ever been able to. In this very moment he knew he would never have enough of this feeling. He would never let her go.

She kept her eyes closed, though he could tell that she had a hard time doing so.

" Just concentrate on your breathing..." He said as he leaned back against the wall again. " Calm..."

" Talk to me..." She said softly, " Tell me something."

And he did, he told her about the journey to the mountain, from the very beginning to the very end. Somewhere around time he talked about how they met Bilbo, he unconsciously started playing with a strand of her hair which was spread all around them. Eventually once he came to the point where they escaped the prisons of Mirkwood, her breathing had evened out and she had curled up in a small ball around him.

Smiling to himself he stopped his story and watched her for some more time. He would never be able to give her what she deserved, but he would happily spend the rest of his life trying.

_Meanwhile..._

Thorin was still surrounded by many fellows, even at such a late hour. But he could not concentrate on anything that way said. Except for the one thing that kept running through his mind in circles.

Fíli was right, ever since he had woken up he had not been himself, but a cold, heartless monster. That lay very vivid in front of his eyes now. With his behavior he had not only hurt everyone around him and eventually himself too, but he had also proven that he had not learned from his past mistakes. He had done it once already, had acted on his biases and only realized it as it was almost too late. The first time it had been Bilbo, now it was Tauriel. The same thing, just with a different person. He would certainly not let it end that way. She had not only saved Kíli, but also Fíli and him, in fact, she had even saved them multiple times. She had saved is life, but also the future of his folk and kingdom. If she looked like an elf or not, one needed incredible courage and selflessness to do what she did. And after all there had to be a reason why she had turned her back on Thranduil. Over the last few hours, he had picked up some conversation about how she had raised arms against said king and for that, Thorin liked her already a whole lot more.

She had saved them all and she was not asking for anything in return except for a reckless dwarf child that happened to be his nephew. She made him happy and Thorin could not ask for more.

So why was he acting like such a... cabbage?!

Tauriel might not be a dwarf, but she definitely had earned her place in this kingdom.

Completely interrupting the conversations that were going on around him, he ordered to search for them instantly.

It was not until after dawn that someone suggested looking for them on the plateau.

The first ones to reach it then couldn't suppress a chuckle and some sense of irritation.

Lying closest to them was a mess of brown and much red hair, all curled into each other. It looked utterly amusing.

" Don't wake them..." Fíli said from the side, grinning at the bunch of people who just had reached the plateau. And so they just stood for mere minutes, whispering and chuckling.

Eventually Fíli asked, " What has brought you here?"

" You uncle, he ordered for you to come back."

" I am not coming back without my brother. And he will not go back without Tauriel."

" Aye, and that is why all three of you shall come back!"

Surprised Fíli stared for a second, then walked over to his brother. He couldn't decide on whether he should be nice or simply make a really loud noise. He decided to go for nice for now, as it was not just his brother sleeping at his feet. As careful as he thought necessary, he shook Kíli awake, eventually loosing his patience though. " Kíli... Kiiiiiiiiiiilllliiiiiii!" He said very loudly, startling is brother out of his sleep.

" What IS IT, Fee?" He asked, half sleepy half annoyed, looking up through a curtain of hair.

" We have guests..." He chuckled.

At once Kíli was completely awake and sat up only to look into the grinning faces of his friends.

" Before you ask, Thorin wants to see the three of you back in the mountain."

" When?" He just asked, looking down at Tauriel who was still out.

" He said as soon as we find you..."

" Alright..." Kíli sighed and turned to wake up Tauriel.

It took him a good couple minutes until she at least seemed to wake up. She really must have lacked some sleep, he thought to himself.

" What is going on?" She mumbled, still more asleep than awake. Her voice was clouded with sleep and her eyes were barely open wide enough to see Kíli's face above her.

He smiled at the sight; he could definitely get used to waking up next to her. " We are going back..."

" Into the mountain?" She asked, doubtingly.

" Yes, indeed." One of their 'guests' said.

Her eyes opened all of sudden and she sat up, once she heard the foreign voice.

Fíli could hardly stand straight as his laughter makes him fall against someone else. " You two are so very entertaining in the morning..."

Without wasting more time, they went down the path and towards the temporary entrance into the mountain.

" What more does he want from us?" Tauriel asked.

" You will see." That was the only answer she got.

In the first hall Thorin awaited them already.

" Before anyone asks a single question I want to speak to Tauriel." He simply said, without any facial expression.

Confidently Tauriel walked on towards him as the others stopped in their step. Only Kíli followed, but Thorin shot him a glare. " Alone. You wait here with the others."

And with that Thorin marched off, Tauriel following behind him.

_**To be continued...**_


	8. Dark red

" How was your night?" Thorin asked, looking into Tauriel's confused face. They had not gone far, maybe two minutes of walking. Now they were standing in another hall.

" As well as our circumstances allowed..." She answered, somewhat nervously. Even though she was not frightened by his earlier actions, she still felt irritated and lost in this giant hall.

Thorin knew exactly what he wanted to say, yet he had no idea _how_ to say it now that the time had come. So he inwardly rolled his eyes at himself at his strange question.

" I may admit that it was a little cold though." Tauriel added.

" I am sorry to hear that." He slowly got angry at himself for his cowardice. How difficult could it be to apologize? " Have you ever heard of Bilbo Baggins?"

Tauriel frowned. Why would he want to talk to her about the halfling? " Yes, he is the one who helped you escape from Thranduil's prisons. We have never met, but I have heard of him."

Thorin interlaced his fingers behind his back and started pacing around in front of her. He had never been nervous about something, so why now?

" When he first joined our fellowship, I thought he would not even survive the first night outside of his house. He did though and still I believed he wouldn't last. A quest like ours is nothing for a hobbit, that's what I thought at least. When he helped saving us from the trolls, I thought it had been his fault that we had ended up in the situation in the first place. And then, in the goblin tunnels, he was suddenly gone and I thought he had abandoned us, had gone back to his books. But he had not. I told him a dozen times that our fellowship was no place for a hobbit and yet he saved my life when he had to fear for his own." His explanation made him miss the hobbit, but now there was something else to focus on. All the while Tauriel was listening with highest interest.

" That moment," Thorin continued, " I realized that I had been wrong about him. Terribly wrong to be exact. I had witnessed everything he had done and yet I had seen it all with prejudice clouding my mind." He stopped pacing and looked at Tauriel instead. " I have made this mistake once and thereby almost lost one of the best friends I have ever had in my whole life. Now, I will not make the same mistake again." He took a step closer.

Surprise was written on Tauriel's face. She was not entirely sure where Thorin was going with this, but she knew that it was something important.

" You came after us when we escaped, not to hinder us from fleeing, but to save us from the orks. Then you saved Kíli's life when I left him to die. I may not have meant to, but it was exactly what I did. Eventually you saved them all from Smaug's angry fire, bringing them to the shore save and sound. You came to fight our war, to save Kíli once more. You threatened Thranduil as he wanted to leave. Raising arms against one's own king is not something you do without being sure about it.

You were ready to die, for our sake. And even as it was all over, you still did not give up. You found a way to save Kíli, but you also saved Fíli and me. You gave up everything you had, for the one you love but also for two you barely know. Is that about correct?"

Tauriel nodded, feeling slightly abashed by the accurate description.

" You were wounded..." He continued, motioning to her side, " Yet you did not call attention to yourself, ever."

" How do you know?" She asked surprised.  
" I can see it." He responded, but then continued. " You did not save three single lives, but a whole kingdom with them." To Tauriel's great surprise he bowed his head in reverence. " May they never forget what you did for them."

Tauriel could hear her heart racing. Never had she expected to hear this from Thorin.

" And for me..." He added finally, " There is nothing left but to ask for your forgiveness. I shall always be in your debt."

If she had not been astonished beyond words, her response would have come sooner. " You must rather ask for Kíli's forgiveness as he is the one you hurt most. I am honored to be asked for mine, but you do not need to ask for what you already have." She smiled lightly, hoping that she had not said something wrong.

" Indeed, I must ask for their forgiveness." He smiled oh so slightly back, " And I am grateful to have yours."

Then he started walking back to where they had come from. Tauriel was still wondering, even now that she had Thorin's thankfulness, if she would be allowed to stay with Kíli. This was all she had ever wanted and ever asked for.

Once they entered the hall where the others were still waiting, her eyes found Kíli's. She could tell he was worried beyond measure and maybe even a little frightened.

" Now, with everyone as my witness, I ask you, Kíli, for your forgiveness as well as I just asked for Tauriel's." Thorin said once he stood close enough to the small group in the middle of the room. " I have mistreated both of you, but from this day I shall not do it ever again."

Kíli looked at Tauriel before answering and as she nodded her head slightly, smiling even, he looked back at his uncle. " You may have my forgiveness, in the hope that you will never again treat someone like you did with Tauriel."

Thorin nodded his head once, then looked at Fíli. " You needn't ask, I forgive you too." He said quickly before his uncle could even start.

Thorin smiled, then looked at Tauriel once more. " You never asked for just a single thing in return, but I would like to offer you a place in this kingdom, at Kíli's side where you apparently belong and desire to be. I hope you accept my offer."

Tauriel didn't know if he had been serious about that last sentence; how could she not accept this incredible offer? Even though she wanted to hug the whole world in that moment, she tried to stay calm and focused. She looked at Kíli who kept staring at his uncle, then at her and back with utter disbelieve in his face until a slow but bright smile made its way up.

Focused, the best she could anyway, she looked at Thorin again. " Thank you very much, I indeed accept it."

" Then it be that way; welcome in Erebor." All around them cheer erupted. Tauriel couldn't believe it, they seemed _happy_ to have her stay.

" We will have a feast tonight, in honor of all those who helped reestablishing this kingdom." Thorin announced, " Even though we are not complete. Bilbo is back at home. And Gandalf could be everywhere."

" I think he is still outside..." Someone said, " Should we inform him?"

" We can do that!" Kíli said quickly, looking at Tauriel.

" I want it to be great, as great as the ones before Smaug and even better!" Thorin added. " Now, you still remember how to prepare a feast, don't you all?"

" Aye!" The crowd quickly dissolved, everyone running into different directions.

" You might want to get cleaned up for tonight." Thorin said to Kíli and Fíli with raised eyebrows. " This is not a party as you know it." That sentence was aimed at Kíli, Tauriel could tell that much.

" As princes of Erebor you should look the part. Bard's people will be invited too."

" Yes uncle..." Both said at the same time.

" Now go find Gandalf so that at least he can attend." With that he smiled slightly in response to Kíli who was grinning from ear to ear. Now even Tauriel and Fíli had to grin even though they had tried to stay serious.

Thorin turned around and soon was out of sight.

" Well, I will let you go and tell him. Meanwhile I will see if any of the bathrooms is usable." Fíli excused himself, leaving into another direction.

Now it was just Kíli and Tauriel standing in the big hall.

" What is going through your mind?" Kíli asked, still smiling.

" I just cannot believe it... We can stay together and you can be with your family..." She said, laughing in disbelieve.

" Come on, let's search for Gandalf!" He took her hand and together they made their way towards the tends on the outside.

" If you were a wizard, where would you hide..." Kíli asked teasingly.

" If I was a wizard I would be in the inside one of the tends..." She said simply, " But if I was _Gandalf_, I would be in the largest tent. That is where I found him the last time."

They made their way over, to find that Tauriel had been right, Gandalf was sitting on a chair, napping as it seemed.

" Is he sleeping?" Kíli asked quietly.

Tauriel looked at Gandalf for a moment, critically searching him for signs of sleep. " No..." She said surprised by herself. " It does not look like he is sleeping..."

" That is because I am not..." Gandalf opened one eye and smiled at the two of them. " So Thorin came to his mind then, huh?"

" Yes indeed, he lets Tauriel stay!" Kíli was excited like a little child, which amused both Tauriel and Gandalf.

" Well I am happy to hear that! But I am certain that this is not the only reason you two came to me...?"

" There will be a feast tonight! Everyone is coming, it is important that you are there too!"

" Then I will be sure to attend!" He smiled.

Kíli was already on the go when Gandalf stopped Tauriel from leaving. " Here..." He laid different herbs into her hand, which she immediately recognized. " You might need this."

" Thank you..." She said and followed Kíli out of the tend.

" What was that about?" He asked curiously, looking at the herbs in her hand.

" These are for... the wound at my side." She really didn't want to worry him. Keeping it as simple as possible would maybe work.

" You said you would explain what happened to you..." He kept on asking, then suddenly stopped walking and made her stop too. " It is bad right? Is that why you are not telling me anything? Mahal, I knew it..."

" Kíli, it's alright! _Im maer_!" She looked at him reassuringly. " If I was not, I would not be here!"

But he kept looking at her with worry in his eyes. Smiling, she leaned down slightly and kissed his forehead. " Let's go back..."

Kíli let it go for now; he would find out about her injuries sooner or later.

" So what do you usually do at a feast?" She asked once they were back under the mountain, aimlessly wandering around.

" It depends on the kind of feast... Sometimes it is just food and drinks and music... Those are nice!" He smiled to himself. " Then there are ones where you have to be dressed very formally and it is mainly about business. Fíli and I have to attend those just because we are our uncle's nephews."

" What kind kind will play the bigger part tonight?"

" It will most likely be something in between. Towards the end it usually loosens up though."

" I hope there will be music..." She sighed, " I have not heard a neat melody for far too long."

" If you wish to have music I'm sure there will be music indeed."

" So I just make a wish and it magically appears in front of me?" She teased him, laughing.

" Aye, about like that. But magic is not involved." He said, his answer actually serious.

" Wait, so I could wish for anything and I would get it?" She wondered, irritated.

" Of course!" He laughed at her confusion. " This is our kingdom, amrâlimê... Uncle is the only one to deny anything. Which... he actually does quite often, but maybe that is because of the crazy wishes Fíli and I used to make when we were little."

Tauriel occasionally forgot that indeed Kíli was a prince. And she was with him now.

" As we got older we stopped it though... So I am just saying that it _would_ be possible to ask for anything. So the only advantage is that no one questions us or tells us what to do or not to do. Only uncle does that... a lot." He laughed at that.

Somehow it made Tauriel feel relieved that they did not act like the royalty she had lived under for so long... They did not take advantage of their privileges and she liked that.

" What were the feasts in Mirkwood like? What did you have to wear then? Was there good food?" Kíli asked.

She smiled at him, a sad touch to it. " I'm sure they were great! I saw guests wearing beautiful clothing, deep colors and sheer fabrics... I do not know about the food, but I think that is where they make use of the wine!" She gave him wink.

" Wait, what do you mean you _think_? Have you never been to a feast?" Kíli was a little shocked.

Tauriel shook her head. " Feasts in Thranduil's kingdom are not meant for lowly folks like me."

" Don't say that, you are by no means lowly! You weren't then and now you are definitely not even close to it! And Thranduil is stupid anyway..." He said it as a matter of fact. " You will love dwarven feasts! It is quite the chaos, I have to admit that, but it is great fun!"

She smiled at that. Chaos started to become one of her favorite things!

" There you are!" Fíli said behind them, making both turn around. " I have been searching for you for hours!"

" Maybe we just did not want to be found!" Kíli teased his brother.

" Anyway, you really should be getting ready!" Fíli said, looking at his brother skeptically. " Take a bath, seriously Kee, would be for the better." And only got a punch in the shoulder as a response.

" Alright, let's go then..." Kíli said, pulling Tauriel after him.

" See you in two hours!" Fíli shouted after them. " Oh and Kíli, be on time only once."

Tauriel chuckled but then Fíli was out of sight.

" Where are we going?" She asked.

" The nicest bathroom I know. As Fíli said, it is just two more hours."

Two more hours... Tauriel had no idea how she would manage to look at least halfway decent in that time! Her clothes were partly ripped, dirty and not fancy at all. At least the blood had been washed out mostly... Still, she would embarrass Kíli if she did not come up with something within the next two hours.

Short time later they entered a large room which was brightly light. In the middle was some kind of tub but Tauriel had not idea about the rest that she saw.

" How do you get water in here?" She asked surprised at the sight of the filled tub.

" Honestly I have no idea..." Kíli answered. " This is usually the king's bathroom, but I don't think uncle has ever used it."

" Oh well, it is very impressive!"

" You can go ahead and get cleaned up... I will just wait... outside... you know... If you need anything..." Tauriel had to suppress a chuckle. Embarrassed Kíli was cute. He closed the door behind himself and she was alone in the room.

First of all she put the herbs she was till holding in her hands onto something that looked most like a table. Then she out off her armor first, continuing until only one layer of clothing was remaining. But since the blood had dried on her side, the fabric was now sticking to it. So she avoided putting it off at first, doing everything else before. She opened the braided sections of her hair, realizing that she would probably never get that same braiding again since she couldn't do it herself, at least not exactly like this.

Finally it came down to the one single dress that was like glued to her side. If she would rip it off, she would reopen the wound. If she would just keep the shirt on she could not wear it later on.

Still, the second option sounded a lot better and so she climbed into the tub of hot water. It was actually of a size that would fit people even taller than her, probably because it was the king's bathroom.

Once she sat down, the water burned like fire in the still not healed cuts. Before she could stop herself she already had let out a tiny squeal. But she kept sitting still anyway, letting the water separate skin from fabric. It still wouldn't come off completely, so she bit the insides of her cheeks and slowly pealed it off. She was not sure if she had ever felt pain like this before; it felt completely different than getting the cuts in the first place. Maybe because she was mortal now and could feel life and everything in it on much more intense level. Finally she put off the dress like item and tossed it on the floor next to the tub.

It took her a minute to get used to the pain, but then she did not mind it anymore. It was an unpleasant feeling, but it was a feeling after all.

Quickly she washed off every dirt and blood that was covering her and then dived under. The scratch on her cheek did not even burn or maybe she just did not notice when it was compared to the cut on her side.

All in all it just took her a few minutes until she climbed out of the tub, dropping water all over the floor. With surprise she noticed though that not all drops on the ground were clear. Just like the water in the tub it was stained red. Dark red.

**_To be continued right away..._**

* * *

**I posted the next chapter with this, so just go ahead and read it ;)))**


	9. Colors of the sunset

Sighing she inspected the damage. Everything except the stupid wound on her side was perfectly fine. Why had she been so careless and gotten it in the first place?!

And what came to her mind next was how Gandalf could have known. The herbs he had given her were for no other purpose but to help open cuts heal a lot faster. She would have used some right away when she had gotten the cuts, but as far as she knew, there were only few places where to find them.

" Are you alright?" Kíli asked from outside.

" Uh Yes..." She answered, distracted, while putting on the clothes that were still usable, only leaving out the spot at her side, which was difficult enough as it happened to be right above her waist. She chuckled to herself as she realized that once again, she was completely engaged in chaos.

" Why do I feel like that is not entirely true..." He said, worried once again.

She tried her best to keep pressure on the wound while she mixed some herbs with water. This was much more difficult to do on one self, she realized and quietly groaned in frustration as she could not tear the herbs into pieces of a decent size. As embarrassing as it would be and as much as she didn't want Kíli to worry, she definitely could not do this on her own.

Quickly she looked around the room. It looked like a slaughter... So she did her best to at least get the blood off the floor which worked surprisingly well.

" Kíli... I need your help." She finally said, annoyed with herself for not being able to deal with this alone.

" So I may come in?" He opened the door slowly, a questioning look on his face. Once he saw what was going on, it changed back to worry and horror. Maybe anger even.

He was shocked at how _red_ the water was, horrified at the sight of her trying to stop it from bleeding and furious because he knew that someone had done this to her.

" Wha... What do you want me to do?" That was most important, questions could follow later.

" Rip this into tiny pieces, then add hot water." She laid the herbs into his hand. He looked mostly helpless. " It is not bad, I simply cannot do it with one hand."

Kíli nodded and went to do what he was told.

Tauriel could not do more than sit on the ground and watch him. She felt uncomfortable just wearing the green dress that was supposed to go under all the other pieces. It was sleeveless and too tight, even though it was long enough to be worn alone. Clothing had never been much of her interest, but literally no one had ever seen her without her armor.

Eventually he came back to kneel next to her.

" What now?" He asked.

" Thank you, I can do the rest alone."

" No, I want to help!"

Tauriel knew that she would not be able to stop him from it anyway. " Alright, it is very simple, you only need to get this onto the cut. Ready?"

She removed her hand and lifted her arms above her head.

It was about as long as her hand, but pretty deep. Kíli could not understand how she seemed to care so little about the pain as only the sight of the wound hurt him. It didn't take long and once the whole area was covered in greenish brown paste, he sat back onto his feet and only looked at her.

" How long does this stay on?" He asked.

" Just a few minutes, then the bleeding should have stopped."

" How did this happen to you? Please, I simply wish to know what you had to go through..." He begged, plea and pain in his eyes.

Tauriel leaned against the wall behind her, the ends of her still wet hair lying on the ground around her. " You would think I am weak if I told you."

" What? First of all would I never think such a thing about you, and then how could someone who has suffered through so much pain and sorrow and loneliness, and who still has the most beautiful smile in the world, possibly be weak?"

She smiled, but still looked at her hands. " First I jumped off a cliff which just gave me a few bruises, it was nothing, really. Then there was this group of villains... I do not know how many exactly... They had the better arms and were simply too many. If I had just paid more attention, maybe they would not have hurt me."

" Is there any chance that I can give them what they deserve?" He did not really expect an answer to that question.

Tauriel smiled; it was a nice feeling to be looked after, even if she could take care of herself.

" You should go ahead and take your bath..." She finally said and got up from her spot on the floor, picking up her clothes from the floor and then walked over to the door.

" I am not leaving you out of sight again." He said sternly, " Just stay here..."

" But..."

" Please?"

" Alright..." She said finally and smiled. Before sitting back down on the floor, she put her remaining clothing items back on, at least the ones that still looked somewhat neat.

Once she sat, she leaned her head against the wall once more and closed her eyes.

She listened to Kíli moving around the room, and to running water.

" I will completely embarrass you..." She said suddenly, "... I have nothing to wear that would suit the occasion. Actually I have nothing to wear at all except for the blood drenched, dirty clothes that I am wearing right now. "

" You could wear whatever you want and you would still look beautiful." His voice was directly above her which made her eyes fall open. He stood only an inch away, looking down at her with a smile.

" If you are going to dress up, then I would simply embarrass you in this clothes!" She smiled back, enjoying to look up for once. It was a different but still nice perspective!

Suddenly his expression changed and he closed his eyes, laughing at himself. " I am indeed the greatest fool who has walked the earth." He leaned his forehead against the wall above her. " I would stand here for hours, just staring at you if I could."

She blushed but didn't say anything.

" But I think I better step back and take my bath..." He said and it almost made her sad. The closeness between them made her feel warm and comfortable, she didn't want him to leave.

Even though she did not say it out loud, Kíli could almost hear her thoughts as they were written into her face without even the slightest attempt of hiding it. It made a smile come to his lips that he could not get rid of even if he would have tried.

So instead of stepping away, he ran his fingers across her cheek and then leaned down for a kiss. It only lasted a few moments, but once they broke apart the feelings still remained.

And yet, the smile would not leave his face. " Kissing you is very addicting, I must admit..."

She simply laughed at that, but could not deny it in return. " We will be late if you don't take your bath..."

He raised his eyebrows at her and took a few steps away. While he got rid of most of his clothes, Tauriel turned her attention to her side once more. The paste had mostly dried and she could carefully remove the tiny pieces. She had seen the effects of it before, but it still surprised her to see that the wound was almost completely closed. It was not completely healed of course, but it had stopped the bleeding.

" Did it work?" Kíli asked from the other side of the room.

" Yes it did!" She looked up into his direction and immediately had to force herself to look away again to not stare. Instead she looked at the floor. She had literally never seen any person with so little clothing. On the other side she was sure that there were worse sights than Kíli wearing not more than his trousers. She remembered their first encounter and immediately her face was on fire.

She would get used to his culture sooner or later. To _their _culture, now that she was officially allowed to stay.

Simply to distract herself she started brushing through her hair with her fingers. It was mostly dry by some miracle and the ends had started to curl again. If it looked at neat as it felt, she had one problem less to care about. But still, having her hair nice would not excuse her lack of formal clothing. Her mind just kept going back to that issue.

Suddenly there was a knock on the door, which had Tauriel standing in a matter of a second.

" Uh, could you...?" Kíli asked, already halfway in the water.

" Sure..." She was at the door in an instant and opened it just wide enough to fit her head through the gap and was surprised at her sight. " Fíli?"

He handed her a pile of clothes, the look on his face halfway amused and half annoyed. " Since my baby brother seems to be anywhere but in the moment with his thoughts, he of course forgot his gown... He probably does not even know where I found it."

Tauriel smiled as Fíli was probably right. Kíli was the chaos in person. Good then that she loved chaos. " Thank you, I am sure he appreciates it..." She chuckled.  
" I hoped that now that he has you I might be off duty with Kíli-watching..." He sighed.

" I doubt that. You are his brother, you will always watch out for him!"

Fíli only smiled as answer. " Maybe we can share the task then."

" Sounds like a plan..." She grinned back, hardly hiding her laughter. There was something serious about it though, at least Tauriel felt like Fíli was giving her his blessing.

" I will see you in an hour then..." He finally said and turned around to walk back through the hallway.

Tauriel closed the door and then placed the pile in her hands on the ground a few feet away from the tub.

" Tell me, do you always need someone to rescue you, even when preparing for a feast?" She teased him, enjoying his confused face.

" What do you mean?"

" Fíli brought your gown." It was hard not to laugh at him.

" Mahal, I had forgotten about that..." He rolled his eyes at himself but then grinned. " But after all that's what older brothers are for!" Though he inwardly made a note to himself to thank Fíli later on.

She wandered around the room while Kíli got out of the tub and examined the clothes Fíli had brought. It looked just about right and so he quickly got dressed.

Tauriel turned to look at him just as he finished buttoning up the jacket. " You look handsome..." She commented. " Now I am completely certain that I will embarrass you."

He walked over to stand in front of her and took both her hands in his. " You never would, in any case it would rather be the other way round. But if it is so important to you, we will find something for you to wear."

They left the bathroom and walked through different hallways, until eventually they stopped in a room filled with clothes.

" Do you think this will actually fit me?" She asked, humor in her voice.

" You might be taller, but also skinnier..." He said while looking around. " Go ahead and see if you find something you like!"

Even though she did not believe that she would find anything she could wear, she took a closer look around until finally her eyes stayed with a cream white dress that was supposed to reach to the floor and even cover one's feet. It might work and after all it looked better than her dirty clothes...

" Would that one work?" She asked Kíli. " It has pearls on the neckline and long sleeves, so it would definitely be more suitable than what I am wearing right now."

Kíli smiled at the sight. " Try it on and I will still tell you that you look beautiful. I always will!"

She took a deep breath and started to get rid of her layers.

" I-uh...I will wait outside..." Kíli stuttered, but she did not seem to mind his presence.

" You don't have to, it just takes a second." And indeed it did. Once she had put on the white dress she looked down at herself in embarrassment. " This is simply too short, I cannot..." But she was interrupted.

" It is not too short by any means..." Kíli managed to stay, even though he was too busy staring.

" It barely covers my knees! And I think it might actually be too fancy."

" Then wear your trousers and boots with it..."

Her face light up at the idea. And as it turned out, it looked decent enough.

" You look beyond beautiful, actually, beyond what words can describe..." His voice was barely a whisper, but the smile on his face was showing happiness just as pride.

" You don't look too bad yourself. And if the light is not fooling my sight, the color of my... shirt seems very close to the color of your jacket."

" Indeed!" His whole face brightened suddenly as obviously an idea had come to his mind. " Would you do me the favor and sit down for a moment?"

Confused, she obeyed and took a seat on a a cabinet standing in the room.

He stepped up behind her and carefully ran his fingers down her hair.

" What do you have in mind?" She asked slightly irritated, but bemused. She had enjoyed it as he had played with her hair the previous night.

" I want to braid your hair!" He seemed utterly excited. " It is just a dwarven thing; braiding hair is important to us!"

" Oh... Alright then!" She had never worn her hair in any other way than the one she had dissolved before taking a bath. Maybe it was better to wear her hair different, now that she was different.

The tugging was very comfortable and after a minute she closed her eyes to enjoy it. She would let him braid her hair more often, as he seemed to find great joy in it.

" Even your hair is beautiful..." He sighed, "...Its color resembles a sunset and it's so smooth... Your hair is so much fun to braid!"

She chucked at his comment. " As a child I used to be teased about it, as the color is highly unusual."

" Finding someone as amazing as you are is highly unusual! They were probably just jealous that they would never be as beautiful as you. I hope you kicked their butts back then..."

Now she laughed straight forward. " Oh indeed I did!"

" I would not doubt that for a second." He laughed back and she felt him reach for something behind them. Then he released her hair. " Done... I hope you like it! Let me tell you that you look absolutely incredible!"

She got up and looked for a mirror, all the while running her hand over her hair. " It feels like it must look complicated!"

" It looks very elegant. It fits you perfectly." He smiled.

Finally she found a mirror, or something similar, and stared at her reflection. Kíli was right, it looked very elegant and very pretty.

" How did you do this so fast?" She wondered, still admiring his work in the mirror.

" I have had a lot of practice when I was younger." He said simply.

" With whom?" Tauriel asked, surprised at how irritated and jealous she sounded.

" Oh, beautiful hair, perfect face, and eyes piercing like thousand swords..." He sighed, but as he saw her confused face then grinned at her and winked, " Fíli of course!"

She rolled her eyes at him and laughed. She really should have known.

" I have never braided someone's hair besides Fíli's, my own and now yours." He said proudly.

And even if she did not know much about dwarven hair braiding, she felt special.

" Come on, we should leave for the feast." Now it was Tauriel who took his hand. " I cannot wait to see what a feast is like! I hope there will be food... And music!"

" Oh amrâlimê, you have no idea... You will love it!" He smiled and they made their way towards the great hall where they would join Thorin and Fíli to welcome the guests.

And yet, they could not know what awaited them.

**_To be continued..._**

* * *

**So, chapter 8 and 9 were originally planned as one chapter! But since it was over 6.000 words, I decided to make it easier to read in two chapters!**

**Hope you enjoyed it, and let me tell you, the feast will be awesome, just wait and see!**


	10. Feast, food and fellows

" What do you think how many guests will be there?" Tauriel asked as she and Kíli made their way up to the main hall.

" A few hundred maybe..." He answered, shrugging. " Maybe less, maybe more."

Impressed she raised her eyebrows. " That is quite a lot! Do you speak to all of them?"

" Uncle does..." He grinned. " You will see, I imagine it to be quite impressive when one sees it for the first time."

" Do you have feasts like this very often?"

" Feasts are quite common, yet not to this extend I assume. Usually we do not dress up!"

They walked into the main hall, seeing Thorin and Fíli standing right in the middle. Otherwise they were still alone.

" Don't you two look festive!" Fíli grinned at the approaching couple. Now Thorin turned around as well, greeting them with a warm smile. " Indeed, you look very graceful. Both of you."

" Thank you!" Tauriel and Kíli said at the same time, making Fíli chuckle.

Someone came running into the hall then, the sight almost making Tauriel laugh.

" Thorin, should we all come to greet the others?" He said, out of his breath.

" Bombur!" Fíli smiled at the sight of their friend.

" Yes, as the feast is in honor of all those who have accompanied me, it may be a good idea to gather the others as well." Thorin said.

" Aye, I will be right back!" Bombur said, his breath still ahead of him, and ran back into the same direction he had come from.

" What a fella..." Kíli chuckled quietly. Indeed a minute later a small group of ten dwarfs hurried into the room.

Tauriel recognized them all, but still she did not know many of their names. They on the other side seemed to know her perfectly well.

" Good pick..." One of them said to Kíli, his voice so quiet that Tauriel almost missed it.

" I know..." He grinned back, excited at the comment.

" What is he talking about?" Tauriel whispered as none of the others was listening.

" Your braid..." Kíli responded with a wink. " I told you it has a long tradition."

She blushed, but Kíli simply took her hand and kept hold of it while he spoke with someone else.

" Is this your first feast?" Someone asked her suddenly. If she remembered correctly his name was Balin.

Tauriel nodded, smiling. " Yes, I am very delighted to experience this."

" Oh, a lot more will come, after a while you will think of it as a commonality. Yet, it is always fun."

" I assume you heard then that I was granted to stay? I hope this does not upset any of you."

" By far, I am certain that those who are upset about it will change their their mind soon enough. Many are in favor of you for disagreeing with Thranduil and for saving their king's life. And as for us, you are among friends, among family."

She smiled at him in surprise and utter happiness. Those around Kíli were the only ones whose opinion mattered to her. All others might just as well hate her, it would be nothing new.

" Thank you very much for accepting me..." She finally said. " You cannot imagine how much this means to me."

" And to me." Kíli added, joining their conversation.

A sudden movement went through the small group.

Kíli, still holding Tauriel's hand, nodded at Balin and they started walking along with the others.

Once they reached the entrance to yet another hall, they could already see many waiting at the entrance at the opposite wall. In fact, Tauriel could not even tell if they were humans or dwarfs as the hall was so huge that she could simply see movement on the other side.

The hall was filled with five long tables that reached from their entrance to the other one. More than a thousand people could comfortably sit here.

" Are you nervous?" Kíli whispered to her while they crossed the hall with quick steps.

" A little..." She admitted, " …Maybe even a little bit more."

He gave her hand a gentle squeeze before smiling comfortingly. " Me too."

" But you have done this over and over again..." She said, still looking ahead. Everyone else was quiet and since they were watched from the other side, it would not make a good impression to draw attention to herself.

" And I have embarrassed myself and everyone around me over and over again. I probably have done more things wrong than right." He answered, as well looking ahead now. " I am scared that I will embarrass you."

It warmed her heart. " You must not worry about such thing... You will not embarrass anyone, and if you do, it will be my pleasure to help you." She smiled. " Whatever you do, I will always be with you."

Even though he had meant to keep a serious face, he could not help the happy grin that started spreading all over his face.

" You know, they will stare at you all night..." She knew she should not say this, for both their sake, but she felt the strong need to make him laugh, " you look determinedly majestic."

Kíli snorted, attempting to hide his laughter, causing Tauriel to react the same way.

" Psst!" Someone behind them said. Luckily they were still far enough to neither be clearly seen nor heard by anyone.

But once they reached the entrance, they stood in a line at the side, Thorin at the very front, Fíli after him, then Kíli and Tauriel and behind them the others.

" Where is Gandalf?" Fíli whispered to Kíli. " Didn't you talk to him?"

" He promised to come, but you know him, he is never on time."

That was indeed true. The wizard had the reputation of always being late. But also of always being up for surprises.

The first ones to enter were Bard and his family. They were greeted and took a seat at the end of the first table. For the next thirty minutes, maybe even longer, countless men and dwarfs were welcomed. Some of them recognized Tauriel, some just stared at her, but no one seemed too displeased with her presence.

Eventually, when Tauriel was just about to ask Kíli for how long they would continue this, Thorin motioned them to turn around. Almost all five tables were filled, making the hall feel lively and very noisy.

Thorin walked towards the table right in the middle and took his place at the head of it.

Fíli sat down to his right, Kíli and Tauriel to his left. The other ten also took their places next to them. Next to Fíli, opposite of Tauriel, sat Balin, next to Tauriel someone who she didn't know. It did not take her a minute though to find out that his name was Glóin.

As everyone was seated, Kíli suddenly smiled at a thought. " You know, now usually comes one of uncle's great speeches... Depending on the occasion it may take long enough for the guests to doze off! But the good part of it is once he is finished, all the food will be brought."

Tauriel chucked. " I actually desire to eat... I assume that is a good sign."

" Being hungry is in fact not a good sign, but in your case we may count it as a success." He winked at her.

And indeed, Thorin got up and took a few steps back from the table to have a better overview of the hall. " Tonight," He started and Tauriel was surprised at how loud his voice could be. But on the other hand these halls were probably designed to allow a person to speak to great audiences when standing at certain points.

" Tonight, we are celebrating not only the reclaiming of Erebor, but everyone who helped to reestablish this kingdom! Everyone of you has taken part in it and thus, we are celebrating ourselves tonight. Especially we celebrate those fifteen fellows who have given up everything in order to make this quest possible in the first place..." He stopped and motioned for them to stand up.

" Fíli, Kíli, Óin, Glóin, Balin, Dwalin, Ori, Dori, Nori, Bofur, Bifur and Bambur were the ones who came when I called them. Gandalf, the one who gave me my father's key and encouraged me to reclaim what is ours. Bilbo, who has not only saved our lives multiple times but also has proven to me and everybody else that friendship is more valuable than any gold inside this mountain. And lastly Tauriel, who gave up everything in order to save my nephews and me; thanks to her, we can be here for a feast today and not for a funeral." He made a short pause, then spoke directly to his friends. " I owe you all a life dept, even more than that. And I was honored to go on this journey with you."

Slowly, some people started to knock onto the wooden tables and only seconds later, the whole room was filled with noises of cheer.

" And now, we shall celebrate like in the old times!" Thorin yelled, hundreds of people joining in.

" That was actually one of his better speeches!" Kíli said to Tauriel over the noise.

Only seconds later, food was brought to the tables.

" What is all this?" Tauriel wondered, slightly embarrassed at her lack of knowledge.

" Didn't they feed you back in Mirkwood?" Glóin asked laughing.

" Actually not." Tauriel answered, grinning. " That's why they are all so skinny..."

The people sitting around her erupted in laughter.

" I like her, I really do..." Someone said, hardly understandable over their laughter. " Kíli, back then you found the only neat elf lass in Mirkwood!"

" And now she's not an elf anymore and still the neatest lass one could find!" Kíli grinned at Tauriel, making her shake her head, smiling.

Once all the food was set on the tables, the chaos started.

" You need to hurry or otherwise it will be empty!" Kíli laughed, shoveling different foods onto his plate. " Oh and you need to try neat ale!"

" Kíli the other ale _was _neat! You just did not like it!" Fíli said, also busy filling his plate.

As they were probably right and the food, whatever it all may be, looked delicious, Tauriel simply followed their example. After a few minutes she had a neat tower on her plate and sat back to admire it. Some of it looked familiar of course, but other pieces were totally foreign.

But she found that Kíli had been right, there were in fact so many different dishes that she could not try them all even if she wanted to.

She started eating, trying not to look like a complete moron while doing so.

" This is incredible!" She said in between different pierces, " It all tastes so good!"

Kíli grinned. It filled his heart with happiness and made him feel warm on the inside to see her happy.

" If someone challenges you to do a drinking contest, you need to say no..." Fíli said suddenly, looking at Tauriel with seriousness.

" Why?" She asked curiously.

" Because the ones who would challenge you in the first place beat everyone else already. And believe me, you do not want to drink as much as they do. With your weight, you would most likely pass out before they get even started."

" He is right..." Kíli laughed, " Not even I am reckless enough to try! Did you ever drink ale or wine anyway? "

" No... The first time when you made me try it!"

" Mahal, then you better do not drink anything at all." Fíli laughed. " Kíli would have to carry you out of here! And I doubt that he is able to even carry you ten feet!"

" Hold on, so is he insulting me or you right now?" Tauriel asked, looking at Kíli bemused.

" I do not know... If he is insulting me, it calls for revenge. If he is insulting you, my revenge will be even worse."

" As if you could threaten me..." Fíli laughed at them, clearly joking.

" Maybe I cannot..." Kíli grinned, " But I am sure Tauriel could come up with something."

Fíli made an overly shocked face, scared even, causing them all to laugh.

Once Tauriel had finished her food, she looked at Kíli questioning. " Can I eat more?"

He laughed, " Of course! You can eat all you want!" Even though he knew that she was still adjusting to a mortal life _and _a new culture, the question had been utterly adorable; the way her eyes had light up once she got to know that she could have more, it was fascinating to witness how she could find joy in the smallest things.

Once she was done eating, she let her eyes wander around the hall. Everyone seemed to be happy, contented with the food and each others company.

" I am disappointed that Gandalf did not keep his promise..." Kíli said next to her. " What could be more important than a feast?!"

" There are many things that are more important than a feast, Kee..." Fíli answered, pretending to be annoyed.

" Not if you promised your friends to attend!" Kíli protested, not wanting his brother to win this argument.

" Maybe he will still come, it is early in the night and Gandalf never misses an opportunity to have a feast." Fíli grinned and got an agreeing nod from Kíli.

Tauriel saw someone on the other side of the hall, sneaking out of the entrance. It was certainly not a man, but she could not tell who by any means.

" Kíli, is there any reason why someone would go through the entrance we used?" She asked wondering.

" Why? Actually no one is supposed to go that way."

" Because I just saw a man doing exactly that."

" Should we tell uncle?" Kíli asked his brother. With a glance at Thorin who seemed to enjoy himself while talking to someone, they decided against it.

" It might be nothing..." Tauriel said.

" Or it might be something!" Kíli answered, getting up from his seat inconspicuously. " We still can go back when it turns out to be of no importance!"

Sighing Tauriel looked at Thorin who seemed too busy to even notice their leaving.

" If someone asks where we went, just say something decent!" She finally said to Fíli and quickly followed Kíli through the crowds who had started to wander after the meal.

" Wait, what..." Fíli said but they were already out of sight.

Tauriel made her way through the crowd and met Kíli waiting for her on the other side, but kept walking and simply dragged him along with her.

" We must not loose him, but we should stay behind to see where he is going." She said and quietly they followed the person through different hallways.

" Do you know where he might be going?" She whispered, carefully looking around the corner the strange man just disappeared behind.

" This way is leading down..." Kíli answered but then asked something in return. " You really know how to follow people around and stay unnoticed..."

She grinned, but kept going, Kíli following.

After a few more turns and a few more hallways Kíli finally knew where they would go.

" This way is leading to the halls filled with gold..." He whispered. " This person must know where he is going!"

It took them a few more minutes to reach their destination, but once they arrived, Tauriel was about to go and confront the person but Kíli held her back. " It might not be a good idea to simply walk up to him..."

" Why not?"

" Because... I don't want you to get hurt again." His eyes showed worry, but also pain. He would by any means protect her from getting harmed. She was a warrior, of course he knew that and probably she was stronger than him, but that did not change anything. Protecting someone you love is not something you do because the other person fails to do so, but you do it simply because you love them.

" This man probably does not even have any weapon with him," Tauriel said, " He does not walk like his body allows him movements at fast speed and the fact that he did not notice us yet tells us that he is not very observant either. He is no warrior, no hunter and nothing similar."

That made sense and so they walked up to the door to the halls filled with treasures.

The man was standing right in the doorway and as he heard them approaching behind him, he intended to run.

But before he could do so indeed, Tauriel had one of the knifes from the dinner table thrown into his direction, pinning his sleeve to the door. He tugged and pulled at it but it didn't come loose. So eventually he turned around to face Kíli and Tauriel who came running towards him.

Once they saw who they had pinned to that door, they stopped in their track abruptly.

" _You_!?"

**_To be continued..._**

* * *

**I hope you liked a little bit of a fluffy feast ;) there will be more :D**

**And someone please tell me that you know all the names of the 13 dawrfs by heart, because I do and I feel like a nerd... hehe**

**See you in the next chapter very soon ;)**


	11. An unexpected guest

"_YOU?!_"

Tauriel and Kíli stared at the person in the door frame with surprise, but also with amusement.

" We should have know..." Kíli said to Tauriel, " I am not surprised. Are you?"

" No." She answered, grinning.

" I-I... Just wanted to take a look... Because everyone has heard the rumors you know..." The person tried to defend himself.

" Seriously, Alfred?" Kíli said, chuckling, " Do you expect us to believe a word you say?"

" I am surprised he is still alive..." Tauriel wondered, mostly teasing.

" Yeah, he was probably hiding somewhere during the battle." Kíli answered.

" B-But you are not going to tell Thorin, right?" Alfred, looked at them in terror, " I mean we are friends... Friends do not do such things..."

" Indeed," Tauriel said, " Friends do not steal from each other."

Alfred looked from the knife which was still pinning him to the door up to Tauriel and smiled helplessly. " Would... Would you be so kind to remove that thing?"

Tauriel looked at Kíli bemused, who returned her gaze with the same expression. " Should we?"

" Nah, we could go back to the feast and leave him here..."

" No! No, you cannot do that! Bard will punish you!" Alfred responded, his voice way too high.

" We would more likely give a feast in our honor." Kíli laughed at the threat, then looked at Tauriel again, " He is such a waste of time, we are missing all the fun back in the hall!"

Sighing, Tauriel pulled the knife out of the door. " Alfred, you go ahead. And I will kindly remind you that if you dare to run, my next target will be your back."

Alfred started moving indeed, walking back the way they had come. " What if you miss, it might be worth my chance..." He said over his shoulder, spitefully.

" She never misses." Kíli simply said and they left it at that.

Shorty after, they were back at the entrance of the hall. It was still just as noisy and just as busy as before.

" Should we bring him to Bard or to uncle?" Kíli asked as quietly as possible as they walked through the crowd.

" I am sure Thorin would want to know if someone attempted to steal what is his." Tauriel answered.

And so they made their way to the end of their table.

As Fíli saw them approaching he rose from his seat and hurried over. He did not even have to ask and Kíli just nodded at him, answering his unspoken question.

Thorin was still engaged in a conversation, but stopped talking immediately as he saw them.

" Alfred... I must say I am not surprised." He said.

" I was simply taking a little walk when these two came after me! And _she..._" Alfred responded before Thorin could say another thing. " She threw a knife at me! Do you always treat guest like this?"

" Just guests who try to steal from us..." Kíli muttered, but Thorin heard it anyway. He raised an eyebrow at Tauriel, who was suddenly very distracted by the floor. She was not a guard anymore... She did not even know what she was now, but throwing knifes at people had definitely been cut from her job description.

But Thorin started grinning instead of giving the expected speech about what was appropriate for her to do.

" I assume you missed then..." He said, " Alfred still seems pretty fine."

" She did not miss, but pinned him to the door!" Kíli protested. That point had to be made clear.

" Out of which distance?" Thorin asked on.

" What does that have to do with the fact that she threw a knife at me?!" Alfred interfered but no one was paying attention to his pout.

Tauriel was now looking at Thorin, in amusement and surprise. " Presumably 35 feet."

" She is playing this down, I am completely certain that it was over 70 feet!"

Thorin looked first at Tauriel, then at Kíli.

" You know the hallway! We were standing at the very end and Alfred here was standing in the door frame on the other side!" Kíli continued.

Thorin grinned at his nephews and Tauriel. " We will see. Do you have a knife?" He asked Tauriel.

She nodded, looking expectantly.

Thorin got up from his seat, pushed Alfred, who was still standing with them, out of the way and picked up an apple from the table.

" Do you think you are able to hit this if I throw it high enough?"

" I am afraid I could hurt someone..."

" Of course she can hit it!" Kíli interrupted her.

" Well then..." Thorin said and threw the apple high up into the air.

It did not take Tauriel a second to process and throw the knife she was still holding. Fear made its way through her body, as she did not want to disappoint Kíli. Did he even know that she had lost most of her abilities?

But only a moment later, the fear was replaced by relief. With a loud clang the knife landed on the ground. She had hit the apple right in the middle.

" I knew you could do it!" Kíli laughed and took her hand.

" Very impressive indeed..." Thorin smiled. " See, Alfred, this could have been you!"

" She... She could have killed me!" He exclaimed.

" That would not have been the end of the world..." Kíli whispered to his brother and they both smiled.

" Now, I am sure you can walk back to Bard by yourself." Thorin finally said and in an instant Alfred was gone.

" Why did you let him go?" Fíli asked surprised.

" He is intimidated enough to not try again tonight. This feast is not a place for trouble." Thorin sat back down and simply continued his conversation with someone Tauriel did not know.

The three of them also went to sit back down. Thorin's reaction had surprised them as it was unlikely for him to simply ignore such a thing. Maybe he was just in a good mood.

" So did anyone even notice that we were gone?" Kíli asked his brother.

" No. No one cares if you go missing..." Fíli teased, winking.

" Hey!" Kíli responded.

" Did we miss anything?" Tauriel asked.

" I rather feel like I missed something!" Fíli answered. " Why did you even take a knife with you?"

" That indeed is a very good question!" Kíli suddenly remarked and looked at Tauriel next to him with his eyebrows raised.

She could feel the heat rising up her neck into her cheeks. " I simply saw it and thought it might be of use."

" Do you always take a knife with you when you go somewhere?" Fíli grinned.

" Only when I am tempted to do something reckless..." She looked at Kíli from the corners of her eyes. " Who knows when Kíli needs to be saved again."

" Oh great, now my brother _and_ you are against me... That's not fair, amrâlimê!" He pouted, his voice and expression exaggerated.

" _Estelio enni..._" She responded, a smirk on her lips, " _Gerich 'ûn sui raw, melleth nín." _

" Why thank you very much." Kíli responded and Tauriel was sure that he blushed a little.

" Now, let me try..." He said then. " _Orthach 'uren ir tirach enni._"

Tauriel chuckled. His accent was very noticeable and still she could understand him perfectly fine.

" Did I say this correct?" He asked, excited about his attempt.

" Yes, you did. And thank you, I can only return it."

" So what are you saying exactly?" Fíli suddenly interfered, " I assume you make each other compliments and I can only tell so much because it takes a lot to make Kíli blush."

" I am not blushing!" Kíli's response came immediately.

" Maybe a little..." Tauriel whispered, " But it looks utterly adorable."

" I am not adorable either!" He grumbled. " If anything, I am handsome!"

Both Fíli and Tauriel burst out into laughing and could not stop for several minutes.

Kíli crossed his arms in front of his chest and made a pouting face.

It only made it worse for the two others.

Even though Kíli might still be a tiny bit pouting on the inside, he was mainly happy. He had never seen Tauriel laugh like this and it strangely made him feel incredibly comfortable. Even if she was laughing about him. He decided then that he definitely enjoyed making her laugh.

Finally when Tauriel had control over herself again, she leaned her head down onto Kíli's and closed her eyes. She had had no idea that laughing could be this exhausting. Generally, she had had no idea that emotions could feel like this. The first time she had noticed it was when she had met Kíli. What she felt for him had confused her more than anything ever before. The feeling had been new, foreign, but entirely addicting. But then again the only other feeling she had ever felt had been loss.

Now that she had entered the world of the living, the actual living, emotions had become an essential part of her life. She treasured every single moment of it.

Kíli for his part had also leaned against Tauriel, eyes closed. This was a moment to treasure. If Fíli could just stop grinning like a fool in front of them... Even with closed eyes, Kíli could literally feel his brother's cheeky grin.

But suddenly something in the hall changes, it went darker.

Tauriel opened her eyes and lifted her head, so did Kíli.

In the entrance stood Gandalf. Once he was noticed by most people, the light went brighter again.

Behind the wizard, unnoticed by most on the other hand, appeared someone else.

" Bilbo!" Kíli and Fíli yelled in excitement, and even Thorin turned immediately at the name of the halfling.

Gandalf and Bilbo came walking over to their table, but before they even got there, Thorin and his nephews had gotten up and they met halfway.

Tauriel got up too, but watched out of a distance.

Thorin was the first one to hug the halfling and she swore she saw tears in all of their eyes.

It was an incredibly touching scene to witness, almost making her shed some tears herself.

Fíli was the next one to hug Bilbo, then Kíli.

" I..." Bilbo said with a slightly shaking voice, " Gandalf told me that you were alive but I doubted it until now."

Thorin looked away from Bilbo to Gandalf, thankfulness written all over his face.

" I could not let you have a feast without our favorite burglar..." Gandalf simply said and smiled.

" Thank you." Thorin said and looked back at Bilbo. " How did you do, one week without us?"

" Uh...Pretty-Pretty fine..." He let out a short laugh, " I was miserable actually."

Tauriel did not know if she had ever seen Thorin so happy. He looked almost as happy as she knew he felt.

" Tauriel..." Kíli said suddenly and waved her over, holding out his hand for her to take.

Now that she got closer to the scene she could definitely tell that Bilbo had a slight glimmer of tears in his eyes. She stood next to Kíli but did not get to introduce herself as Kíli was faster.

" Bilbo, this is Tauriel! I know you know her name, but if I am not mistaken you two have never actually met."

Bilbo looked at her for a second, then just moved to hug her as well, completely overwhelmed with the whole situation.

" Thank you for saving my friends..." He said quietly.

Tauriel hugged him back, surprised but pleased at his welcoming gesture. " No need to thank me..."

He let go of her and took a second to compose himself again. Then he looked at the five people standing around him until his eyes stayed with Tauriel once more.

" Kíli has talked about you, you know..." He said, to Tauriel's amusement and Kíli's shock. " All the time! So I could say I know you probably as well as everyone else in the company."

This at least explained why everyone seemed to know her so well.

She looked at Kíli who was staring at the ground, but peeked up at her through his lashes.

" You should eat something!" Thorin said to Bilbo then. " There is still food left."

As they moved to sit down back at their table, Bilbo said " I hope you destroyed someone else's kitchen this time..."

Thorin made Bilbo sit down next to him at the end, Gandalf at his other side and everyone else went back to their own seats.

Bilbo got himself a plate full of food and Gandalf prepared his pipe to smoke.

" This is quite the large assembly..." Bilbo said while eating, " Did I miss anything?"

Kíli snorted, Fíli choked on his ale and Tauriel covered her mouth with the back of her hand to prevent herself from starting to laugh once again.

" No..." Thorin said, " Nothing at all."

Bilbo looked at him, then at the three others, then back at Thorin. " Alright, what did I miss?"

" Kíli being ridiculously hilarious, Tauriel's impressive knife throwing skills and Alfred trying to steal our gold. That was about it." Fíli summarized.

Bilbo opened his mouth as if about to say something, but stopped and closed it again.

" Sounds like a normal feast then..." Commented Gandalf.

" If our mother was here she would have embarrassed us by now..." Kíli said to Tauriel, glaring over at Fíli who nodded. " She always tries to play matchmaker for either one of us... It is awful!" He said.

Kíli looked up at Tauriel, smiling. " It does not surprise me that she never succeeded. The crazy lasses she picked were... well crazy."

" Kíli they were not crazy. They just liked you." Fíli chuckled.

" But it surprises me that she never succeeded!" Tauriel said in return. " I am sure there were many maidens who would have loved to try their luck with a prince!"

" Exactly that was the problem!" Kíli said, " They all want a prince! And they are crazy."

Fíli sighed, shaking his head smiling. " They simply wanted your attention!"

" But I did not want theirs! You know perfectly well what I am speaking of! As if they did not ogle you all the time too!"

Tauriel chuckled. She could understand perfectly well why someone would ogle Kíli.

" Mother will be delighted that finally someone managed to steal your heart!" Fíli teased.

" I am most certainly not what she has in mind for her son..." Tauriel said, but it did not bother her too much.

" You are everything one could wish for and more than that. She will love you!" Kíli winked at her. " What about you? Now _I_ am most certain that you had many fellows ogling you."

" No..." She shook her head, unsure if she should be smiling or not, " No one."

" Did no one ever tell you how extraordinarily beautiful you are?!" Kíli frowned.

She blushed, but laughed. " One time a little girl came to me and said she liked my hair."

" And that is all?"

" Yes!" She smiled and gave him a wink in return. " It is not common for elves to ogle others or tell them that they look good!"

" That is sad... But then again, elves are really cold in their interaction with others anyway..." Kíli said. " Well except for you obviously! You were not cold at all! Rather the opposite, I mean..."

Fíli started chuckling and Tauriel simply smiled at Kíli.

" Yes they are very cold indeed." She saved him out of his awkwardness.

" I think..." Gandalf said suddenly, " Now is a good time to hear about everyone's journeys." He looked at Bilbo, who returned his gaze.

" I would much rather hear about Tauriel's journey, as I still cannot picture how she saved everyone's lives..." He said then.

Now five pairs of eyes were fixed on her and she stared back. This was going to take a while.

**_To be continued..._**

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**Yay I just had to bring Bilbo into this story! #bilboandthorinaresocute**

**As for Alfred, he is just weird. That is why they laugh about him. **

**Next chapter is going to be a but more exciting, I promise! This was just cute :3**

**Thank you everyone for being so sweet and commenting and stuff! Makes me so happy :D**


	12. Tauriel the story teller

" What exactly do you want to know?" Tauriel asked. She did not like being in the center of everyone's attention.

" Well, you might want to start at the time the battle was over..." Kíli said.

Tauriel took a deep breath, there was no way to get around this anymore.

" After it was over... I ran. I do not know where or why or when exactly. It was all in a blur, as if all of sudden life on the outside had stopped and the only thing I knew was incredible pain." Many eyes were fixed on her now, as more people around them had stopped talking and were instead listening to her with great interest.

" I wandered around, without any aim or destination, for three days..." She again started to feel regret for wasting so much time back then. " It never stopped raining while you were gone... The heavens were crying with the ones you left behind... And they were crying with me..."

Kíli laid his hand onto hers, as he could feel this was difficult for her to tell.

" I can only apologize for the time I lost by being caught up in my own regret and sorrow." She looked at their hands and interlaced their fingers. " I came to a small town with an old wooden gate... They let me in, and I could sit at a fireplace... I had promised myself that I would not break in, that I would stay strong and keep any emotions hidden as it was expected of me. But I couldn't."

Tauriel felt as if she was telling them about their own fate. They looked at her like little kids who listened to the fairy tales their parents told them.

" The elderly lady who owned the place, she was very good to me. She told me there is always a spark of hope left in the world. And if it falls upon the right people, who knows which great fires can arise from it." She smiled to herself; this memory would stay with her.

" And I can say it did fall upon the right person..." Gandalf said and nodded to her. Tauriel returned the gesture and continued. " I did not know what I could do, but I knew that there had to be _something_! And thus I started looking for lady Galadriel."

" Why that?" Someone she did not even know asked. " Why her?"

" Because she is the wisest and mightiest person in middle earth." Gandalf answered for her.

" Indeed, if someone could help me I thought it was her. And to be honest, I did expect I would rather die than ever find her. I did not though, but it was very close at times."

Everyone was expecting her to continue, curious and anxious to know more.

" I came to a mountain and I thought it had ended before it even begun. The guards helped me though, against their orders. They brought me to a tunnel which would bring me to another city under another mountain."

Now, the expressions on her audience's faces varied. Gandalf frowned, as if in doubt of what she said. Thorin seemed surprised on the other hand. The other, still, curious.

" I followed the tunnel..." She did not want to tell them about what had happened then. They would doubt every word she said. " On the other side I was supposed to find a woman who knew where I could find Galadriel. I met her and she told me that I would not find, but be found. Then I... I left the mountain and found myself on a field of rocks and trees."

She knew that Kíli did not quite believe her, the way he looked at her gave it away.

" And you just could leave? You did not have any problems with the people or the tunnels?" Gandalf asked then; how could he possibly know?

" Uhm..." Now the others started looking at her questioning as well. She would be better off by simply telling the truth. " I got lost- mountains are... very new for me." Muffled laughter went through her audience. " I ran into guards; of course I told them that my visit was authorized, but they on the other said that the woman I just had visited had disappeared years ago... Of course they did not believe me and thus I was supposed to see the mayor for a trial. But they were untrained, and made more mistakes than I can count... It was easy to escape. Almost too easy now that I think about it..." Her voice trailed off, but then she shook her head and continued. " I ran through the tunnel that was most likely to lead me to the outside... But I ended up on a kind of platform above a river. The choice between jumping and being captured again was an easy one to make. Though it might have been foolish."

" I know someone else who would have jumped..." Fíli murmured to himself with amusement.

" But eventually I ended up on a field of stones and trees indeed." She said. " It was the strangest place I have ever been to... The lady, she told me that the tunnel I came through was dangerous and nearly no one ever made it to the other side. That there are creatures living in it..."

" Indeed... A strange place..." Gandalf said himself, lost in thought. " Where do you think it was?"

" Wait a moment, I have a map." Bilbo said suddenly. He laid it onto the table and pushed it towards Tauriel who took a closer look at it, searching for the mountain rows and the kingdom.

" It is not on the map..." She whispered to herself, staring at the map, then at Kíli who seemed just as surprised as she was.

" That is because the kingdom does not exist." Gandalf was back in the conversation. " I knew there was something wrong with your story..."

" But it is the truth!" Tauriel said, shocked that Gandalf did not seem to believe her.

Kíli's grip on her hand tightened but he remained silent.

" I do not doubt that!" Gandalf responded. " What you told is exactly what you experienced. But it may not be what happened."

Everyone stared at him, confused at his words.

" Then what happened?" Tauriel asked bravely. How was anyone supposed to know what happened except for her?

" I can only tell you that there is no kingdom under these mountains, at least not one that is ruled by men."

" Then who did I meet? Who did I talk to? Who did I fight?"

" Phantoms who decided to appear to you in the form of men. They like to play with their visitors, with your mind..."

" But the woman, she told me that Galadriel would find me! And she was right, how is that possible?"

Gandalf shifted in his seat, noticeably uncomfortable with the situation. " They are very special indeed, they know a lot.. It is very rare that someone sees them, though and they are not always as nice as they were with you. I assume that they found you and your matter of concern very honorable."

" But I really did jump off that cliff..." Tauriel said more to herself than to Gandalf.

He smiled. " Yes, indeed. It all really happened, just not the way you might have thought."

Tauriel was still confused, but she decided to let it go. It was in the past, and she is in the present. She is with Kíli and they are both alright. If she worried about everything in her past, she would never find peace. And she would not live in the present.

" Wait, how high was the platform you jumped from? And what about the river?" Bilbo asked suddenly, returning to the topic. " How could you possibly do all this without even getting hurt?"

" It was really not high..." Tauriel understated the situation, knowingly, but only to prevent them from worrying. " The river was cold and there were many sharp rocks; I got away with a few bruises."

" Luck was certainly in your favor." Thorin commented.

" The whole time." She answered. " Without luck I would not have made it."

" Maybe you had someone watching over you..." Gandalf winked at her and motioned to Kíli who did not notice any of it. He was captivated by Tauriel's voice, by her eyes, by her hand holding onto his.

" What happened then?" Fíli asked.

" I had an encounter with a group of villains, but I could bring them to throw their weapons off a cliff and let me go."

" I am convinced they did not stand any chance against you!" Fíli laughed. " One better has you as a friend than as an enemy."

Her cheeks turned hot again, but she acted over it. " I got a little scratch... But I lived!"

" As far as I know it is a bit more than a little scratch, isn't it..?" Gandalf lowered his head and looked at her through his lashes.

" It is fine, now." She did not want to talk about it in front of everyone. It was embarrassing enough that Gandalf knew. " Thank you again for the herbs."

He smiled at her and let the topic go.

" Then I met Galadriel, indeed... She wished me farewell... And I was human."

" Just like that?" Bilbo wondered. " Did you have time to think about it?"

" She told me it was the only way to save you. There was nothing to think about." She smiled. " Once she was gone... I felt life for the first time."

" So mortality feels different than immortality?" Fíli asked curiously. Kíli on the other hand was still silently watching her.

Tauriel laughed at the question. " Oh yes... You cannot imagine just how much better it is."

" Being mortal or being immortal?" Bilbo asked confused.

" Being mortal, being _alive_!" She let out a little sigh. " Maybe I was never meant for an immortal life anyway."

Even Thorin smiled at her joyous statement.

" What then? What happened?" Someone asked.

" I returned to Erebor."

" Just like that? What about your way?"

" I might have fallen down a cliff once... But the way was only a matter of one day and one night."

Fíli chuckled. " You _might_ have fallen off a cliff?"

" Yes... In fact it was only the last twenty feet of it, so it was not worth mentioning."

" I told ya', she's a tough lass!" Glóin said to Balin.

" Once I got here no one wanted to talk to me... Because I look like someone I never was... An enemy..." She noticed Thorin's expression changing to one of slight guilt, but it only lasted a moment.

" I would not have believed anyone who told me that the same thing I tried to tell them, so I really do not blame anyone. Eventually I met Gandalf... And that is how I ended up waiting for you to awake."

They all remained silent for a short time. Tauriel looked at Kíli and was met by a gaze full of awe and amazement.

" What is it?" She asked him, smiling.

" I simply cannot believe that I was granted the greatest honor and gift that one could possibly receive." His voice was filled with lovingness. She frowned as for she did not know what he was speaking of.

" Your love... I do not know how I could be any more honored than to be the one you love." He smiled widely at her.

If she had ever doubted that she could love him any more than she did anyway, she was now proven wrong. Once again. Did love ever stop growing? She doubted this instead.

Smiling she leaned down to him and breathed a chaste kiss to his lips. " I am indeed the honored one."

Around them the conversations continued, no one seemed to take notice of them.

They just looked at each other for a while until Kíli started chuckling, causing Tauriel to do the same.

" Zip it, Fee..." Kíli said to his brother, but still looked at Tauriel.

" What?" Tauriel asked, almost laughing now.

" Fíli destroyed the moment." Kíli answered.

" What?! What did I do _now_?" Fíli asked in protest.

" Well, for once staring at us is not very nice and then I can literally _hear_ your thoughts."

" Oh you cannot!"

" Then why do I know that you better remain quiet?" His voice was teasing.

" It is not my fault that you two are very romantic..." Fíli answered grinning.

" Romantic?" Tauriel asked, raising an eyebrow.

" Yes romantic. I would not believe that my brother can be romantic either, if I had not just seen it."

" And that is why I do not approve of you staring at us!" Kíli said, trying to prove his point.

" The guests are leaving..." Bilbo said to them, quiet, as if it was a secret. And indeed it was something they should have noticed as everyone was getting up and ready to say their goodbyes.

" Bilbo you are staying right?" Kíli asked him. Fíli and Tauriel also looked at the hobbit questioning. Bilbo on the other hand looked at Thorin.

" Of course Bilbo is staying!" He simply said and continued to say goodbye to to the guests.

" Oh well I am staying then!" Bilbo said with a smile.

" He is staying..." Fíli repeated and looked at Kíli and Tauriel who couldn't help herself and turned around to Kíli as well " He is staying!"

" Why did my brother and my love have to become best friends..." He sighed dramatically, but then smiled at them. " I am glad that you get along so well."

" I am glad that you now have someone else to watch over you!" Fíli encountered him.

" And I am glad that we are all here and able to say this right now!" Tauriel concluded.

" Yes, that too." Fíli said and Kíli nodded.

" Now, where will you stay?" Bilbo asked Tauriel. " I heard that this will be your home from now on."

Tauriel suddenly could ask herself the same question... She would have to sleep somewhere!

" She stays with me..." Kíli said simply as if it was the easiest question.

" Are you sure?" She asked.  
" Of course!"

" And where are _you_ staying then?" Bilbo asked.

" Uhm... I don't know!" Kíli laughed. " We will find a nice room for everyone..."

" Have you ever been here?" Gandalf asked from behind them, " If you want to find a room for everyone you better start soon..."

" What about uncle and the guests?"

" Oh Thorin has a room, he knows this place perfectly well. The four of you on the other hand should better start looking now."

He raised his eyebrows at the four of them. " I will tell Thorin where you can be found."

" Oh well we better go then..." Fíli said. Somewhat confused the four of them started walking into the direction that led them deeper into the mountain. They walked for some minutes until they reached a hall with many ways leading into every direction. They stopped right in the middle.

They looked around quietly until Fíli finally spoke up. " Now, we might find everyone a room... Or we might get lost, because seriously I have no idea where we are right now."

**_To be continued..._**

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**Sooo... This is Tauriel telling about her journey! And next chapter we will find everyone a room! Hehe**

**If you still want to know what Kíli and Tauriel said to each other last chapter just let me know and I'll add it to next chapter's note ;)**

**You all are really so awesome with comments and love :3 thanks so much! **

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_Love everyone :3_


	13. Rooms

" What do you mean you do not know where we are?" Asked Bilbo. " This is your home, you are the only one who possibly could know where to find rooms!"

" Yes... But I have never been in this part..." Fíli admitted. " I am sure that as long as we stay together we will not get lost though."

Kíli looked at Tauriel out of the corner of his eyes. She seemed amused by the fact that they would have to look before a room first before they actually could go to sleep.

" Alright, we should simply try the first hallway... We can always go back!" Tauriel said finally and got a nod from Kíli as response. So they made their way towards the right corner of the hall, following the dark hallway.

" No one has walked here for a long time, it is not even light!" Bilbo said disapprovingly. "We should try another one."

" But no one has stayed in Erebor for a long time either, so this hallway is just as dark as most others." Fíli answered.

Kíli opened the first door they passed, only to realize that is was empty. " If anyone is fine with sleeping on the floor they may have this room..." He teased as they walked on.

The next few rooms they opened turned out to be just as empty and just as dark.

" Maybe we should simply settle for what we found..." Tauriel said. " I do not mind sleeping on the floor!"

" That is because you have never slept in a bed..." Kíli winked at her and smiled. " Except for that I am certain that uncle would not approve if we made his hobbit sleep on the floor."

" I am not his hobbit!" Bilbo complained instantly.

" So do you say..." Fíli chuckled.

" Except for that, I do not want to be freezing as the ground is very cold." Kíli mentioned.

They reached the end of the hallway and found themselves standing at the top of an old spiral staircase.

" This does not look very save to walk on..." Tauriel remarked. " Maybe we should go back."

" It is not as bad as it looks, it just has not been used for a long time!" Kíli responded and before anyone could stop him he had taken the first step.

But as expected it was not very stable indeed and before he could help himself the step he was standing on broke in. Caught off guard he lost his balance and fell backwards. Instinctively Tauriel reached for his hand, but instead of preventing him from falling she was pulled down with him. Squeaking they tumbled down the narrow staircase, which to their luck just was not very long.

Once they reached the ground, awkwardly landing on each other, it just took them a second of looking into each others eyes in order to see if the other one was alright. Then only a moment later they started laughing loudly, simply lay next to each other on the ground, not able to stop.

Fíli and Bilbo came running down the stairs, careful not to fall. " Are you hurt?" Fíli asked worriedly as he saw the two of them still lying on the ground. He frowned at the realization that they could not stop laughing and then looked at Bilbo. " I think they hurt their heads..." He whispered to his friend.

" You really do have a talent to get engaged in self-destructive situations..." Tauriel finally said to Kíli, still grinning.

" I am so sorry, amrâlimê..." He said, suddenly serious, and reached for her hand which lay next to his. " I really did not mean for this to happen... I could have hurt you!"

" And you could have hurt yourself..." She said, turning her head to look into his eyes. " Promise me to not put yourself at such risk... I cannot loose you again."

" It was just a few stairs..." He said reassuringly as he saw the worry in her eyes. " And I had my guardian angel with me after all!" They smiled at each other, getting lost in each others eyes.

" And they say they are not romantic!" Fíli whispered to Bilbo and leaned against the wall next to him grinning.

Bilbo for his turn laid his head to the side and watched the two of them. Finally a smile made its way to his lips. This was what love looked like; something he had not seen for a long time. Friendship, yes, and even Thorin's love for his nephews, which was hard enough to find. But this world was certainly lacking some love.

Finally Kíli got up, his hand still interlaced with Tauriel's. He pulled her up with him with such an ease that surprised Tauriel.

" Thank you..." She grinned.

" My pleasure..." He answered and bowed his head.

" Yea, great, now can we continue for a room?" Bilbo asked slightly uncomfortable.

Chuckling they continued their way and now finally luck seemed to be in their favor. Behind the first door they opened lay a small bathroom, looking as if had been used until yesterday.

" This is a good sign..." Fíli said and was already on the next door. " Now come look at this!"

Tauriel was the first at his side and dragged Kíli with her. She stared into the big room with amazement. " This is very impressive..." Just like the bathroom, this room looked like it had just recently been left.

" One bedroom found, two to go..." Kíli said grinning. " I suggest this one is Bilbo's. He is our guest and we certainly owe him a good and peaceful night's sleep."

Bilbo slowly stepped into the big room and nodded his head.

Fíli went to open the next door, only 25 feet away and on the same side of the hallway. The room that lay behind it was just as impressive as the previous one, but even slightly bigger.

" Fíli..." Kíli said, stepped into the room and raised his eyebrows. " Yours now?" His brother nodded in agreement.

Tauriel on the other side looked around and discovered a third door on the opposite wall, about another ten feet away. It was the only remaining door in the hallway that was in sight.

She walked over and peeked into the room. It was touched in a beautiful blue light, like the moon's reflection on water. Fascinated, she entered the room and took a look around. Unlike the other rooms, this one had a glow to it that she could not describe even if she was asked to. The furniture was the same, and it even had a small table and chairs. But instead of admiring it, Tauriel looked for the cause of the almost magical bluish glow. It was so quiet that she could hear her own breath.

Suddenly she stopped in her movement and smiled to herself. " I know that you are here..."

" How did you do that?" Kíli asked, his voice closer behind her than she had expected.

" I may not have the extraordinary abilities I used to have anymore, but somehow... I knew that it was you." She turned around to him.

" You amaze me, do you know that?" He laughed slightly, but his gaze was full of adoration. " More and more every day."

" And you make me want to be a better person, every day..." She returned.

" I think, now, that you could not be any better, as you are perfect already! And the next moment I discover that I was wrong, that you can indeed be even more perfect." He smiled to himself. " What I said before the battle, that you make me feel alive, it was a restraint. It is so much more than that, I do not even know how to put it in words..."

" Then don't..." She smiled. " It would be an understatement every time we tried. I may not know much about life, or love... But I know what I feel cannot be described by words."

" Then don't..." He copied her sentence and pulled her down to him. Right in the moment their lips touched, they heard a loud rumble on the hallway.

" Oh darn..." Kíli grumbled.

Tauriel chuckled and was on the door in an instant, popping her head out. A second later Kíli's head was under hers. Also Bilbo and Fíli peaked out of their rooms.

" Was that you?" Bilbo asked, irritated.

" No..." Kíli and Fíli answered in union. Tauriel looked down at Kíli, who then turned to look up at her.

Finally she opened the door completely and stepped out, walking in the direction of the previous noise. The others followed her.

At the bottom of the staircase, Gandalf was just getting back up from the ground. He mumbled a few angry words in an unknown language, but Tauriel assumed it weren't ones of the nice sort. A smile came to her lips, which she immediately tried to hide.

" Are you alright?" She asked the wizard instead.

" Yea yea..." He said and looked at the four of them. " It is dark down here!" Then he said a few more words in the same language as before, but this time the hallway light up in a warm glow.

" What are you doing here Gandalf?" Asked Bilbo. " Did Thorin sent you?"

" No... I uh simply came to assure that you were alright." He answered. " I would now much rather know how you got down this staircase without breaking your neck..."

" Well, Kíli and Tauriel did not..." Fíli started, grinning, but immediately had Kíli's elbow in his ribs.

" And you really are here only to look after us?" Tauriel asked, frowning.

" Do you indeed right now question the truthfulness of a wizard?!" His voice was slightly raised.

" Yes." Tauriel said in a matter of fact, her expression expectantly but otherwise neutral. Fíli's mouth fell open in disbelieve and amusement, Kíli let out a snort and Bilbo simply stared at her.

So did Gandalf, but Tauriel did not give in. After a few seconds, a slow smile came to his face and he started chuckling. "Oh well... I might have found myself an excuse to avoid the prolonging goodbyes..." He said innocently.

" You may hide among us..." Kíli said chuckling. " Would you like to admire our rooms then?"

" If I admire something is my decision..." He said critically. " But I would be happy to see them."

They first took a look at Bilbo's room, then at Fíli's.

When they went on to Kíli and Tauriel's, they stopped right in the doorway and admired the light, just like Tauriel had done.

" Why does it have this beautiful glow to it?" Tauriel finally asked. Kíli grinned and pointed to different places in the room.

" The halls of Erebor bears many wonderful things, and so, we happen to have gems that resemble the starlight in its beauty and its glow." He said smiling. " I did not know that a room like this existed, but once I saw it I knew you would like it..."

" I do... It is beautiful..."

" I am glad that this is your room and not mine..." Fíli said. " It is beautiful, but I prefer to sleep in darkness."

" There are several places like this in the mountain, some are even more impressive than this one..." Gandalf remarked, but then stepped out of the room once more. " Well, I better get back up and see if my help is needed."

" Good luck..." Fíli laughed.

" Careful with the staircase..." Kíli winked at the wizards.

" And the guests..." Tauriel added.

Gandalf looked at Bilbo expectantly, waiting for the final witty, childish remark.

" Are you sure that Thorin is alright with us down here?" The hobbit asked instead.

" I will let him know where you may be found..." Gandalf reassured him, but then made his way back down the hallway. Also Bilbo and Fíli retreated to their rooms.

" I would wish you a good night at this point, but I have the feeling that this was not our last encounter for the night..." Fíli said and nodded at his brother before closing his door.

" And what now?" Tauriel asked as she closed the door to their room behind them.

"Are you tired?" Kíli asked in return.

Tauriel thought about it. She felt slightly exhausted and her eyes had started to burn, but was it enough to sleep? " Are you?"

" Yes, if I am honest, I am exhausted, but not utterly tired. I imagine you on the other hand will have to catch up on some sleep." He answered. " And tonight we cannot leave this hallway anyway, as uncle would make us return to our rooms immediately. He does not like when we wander around at night and start doing nonsense."

Tauriel nodded slowly and wandered around the room. She stopped at the bed and sat down on the edge of it. Sighing she closed her eyes and dropped onto her back.

" This is really comfortable..." She remarked with her eyes still closed.

Kíli walked over to the bed and stood next to her. Simply watching her made him feel happy.

" You might want to get more comfortable though... You cannot sleep like this!" He laughed lightly.

" Why not?" She grumbled. " This is nice!"

" You will think differently in the middle of the night..."

Sighing once more she opened her eyes and sat back up. " Well then, what now?"

" Do you want to sleep in this dress?" He asked.

" I will have no other choice!"

" You still wear the green one under it."

She blushed at the realization that he knew better what she was wearing than she did herself. And except for that, she was not comfortable with simply the green... It was not even a dress! It was barely covering a third of her thighs and it had no sleeves.

" I feel uncomfortable with so little clothing." She said.

" You really do not have to! I promise I will not comment on it nor tell anyone, ever..."

She did not move, but simply looked at her hands, thinking.

Kíli smiled at himself and started putting off his jacket, shoes and everything that might be uncomfortable until only shirt and trousers remained.

Tauriel took a deep breath, closed her eyes and stood up from the bed.

Kíli hated making her feel uncomfortable, but she really did not have any reason to be ashamed. She should rather feel comfortable around him.

To make it easier for her, he turned around, even if he had seen her change already. Maybe she was really simply tired.

She got rid of her white dress, her shoes and her trousers until she remained with the green not-dress.

" Better now?" She asked Kíli, resigned.

He turned around, but did not dare to look at her for longer than a second or otherwise he could not bring himself to look away again. " Yes..." He said simply.

Tauriel looked to the floor, mad at herself. She was always confident in herself, so why not now? What was different? Kíli was the last person she would feel ashamed with, the last person who would judge her. He would never do such a thing. She should feel comfortable, and now that she thought about it, she found that she did.

" Would you redo my braid tomorrow?" She asked, smiling slightly.

" Of course, I would love to!" He answered, still looking everywhere but at Tauriel.

" You are right, I do not have to feel uncomfortable. So I will not." She said while undoing her braid.

" So I may look at you...?" He asked carefully, chuckling.

" I am looking at you after all, it would not be right if you were not granted to look at me." She felt ridiculous, yet excited. The whole situation had been unimaginable just a few weeks ago.

Even in the dim light, he was at a loss of words at her sight. The blue glow made her look...

" Beyond words..." He whispered, smiling.

" What?" She asked, laughing.

His brain started to work again, his heart picked up its beat once more and slowly he started to process.

She wanted to feel embarrassed at his reaction, but instead she went for proud. It was a nice thing to be looked at like she was the most beautiful thing he had ever laid eyes upon. And in his opinion she definitely was.

Before she could prevent it, a yawn escaped her. She ran her hand through her hair, smiling " I think I am indeed tired..."

Suddenly they heard the same rumble they had heard before, when Gandalf had fallen down the stairs. It awoke Kíli out of his daze, and Tauriel was already at the door.

" Oh no not again..." Kíli mumbled as they peaked their heads out of the door, looking down the hallway.

Fíli and Bilbo, both ready to go to bed as well, were already looking out of their rooms.

" Bilbo? Fíli, Kíli, Tauriel?" They heard Thorin's voice roar through the hallway before they saw him approaching.

" Here are you!" He said once he saw them standing in their door frames. " How did you get down those stairs?!"

" Did Gandalf forget to warn you about it?" Bilbo asked. " Are you alright?"

" Nah, that wizard... He told you to leave in the first place, then hours later when I was almost in utter panic he cared to share where you went. And the stairs... He did not say a word!"

Tauriel chuckled about the fact that the stairs simply brought everyone to their knees, more or less literally.

" I am alright... Did any of you fall?" He asked, looking at Bilbo which made everyone else grin.

" Well, some of us did..." Fíli remarked, but at Kíli's deadly glare he fell silent.

" You picked good rooms..." Thorin finally said. " They are good enough for this night, as I assume you would like to go to sleep. Tomorrow I will have to move into your permanent ones. And Bilbo, you will also get your own room. You are always welcome here, the room will be yours alone to stay in."

Tauriel liked the room they were staying in right now; the gems that looked like starlight made her feel at home. But if it was Thorin's wish for his nephews to move, and so also for her, so it be.

" Now, will you be alright for tonight?" Thorin asked finally.  
" Yes, thank you..." Tauriel answered. Kíli nodded, so did Fíli and Bilbo.

" I will see you tomorrow then... Good night!" He said and went back to the stairs.

" G'night Fee..." Kíli said to his brother, then turned to Bilbo with a teasing grin. " And Mr. Boggins of course."

Bilbo smiled back. " Good night."

Then they closed their doors, for hopefully the last time that night. Hopefully...

_**To be continued...**_

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**I totally love the stairs ;) Its simply meant to be funny. And I like the idea of Tauriel being confident, as she knows there is nothing to be afraid of...**

**Hope you liked this chapter :3 **

**See y'all with the next one, very soon!**


	14. Nightmares

After everyone had said their good nights, Kíli closed the door behind them and turned around. " Now, it is late, I think we should go to sleep."

Tauriel nodded and sat down at the edge of the bed. It was pretty low to the ground, and yet very comfortable.

Kíli stepped closer until he stood right in front of her, at the edge of the bed, all the while his eyes never leaving hers.

Tauriel looked up at him, as her eyes were on the same height as his shoulders, but did not say a word.

She wanted to say so many things, yet her mouth stayed shut. All the things he made her feel, all the things she could not even understand herself, foreign and overwhelming, wanted out, wanted to be expressed in any way. It made her ache inside out, filled with desperation. Feelings are a very miraculous, wonderful yet complicated thing.

" What is it?" Kíli asked compassionately. He lifted his hand to her face and gently pushed a strand of hair behind her ear before caressing her cheek.

She looked up at him for just a moment longer, until suddenly she wrapped her arms around him, hugging him to her tightly.

Smiling, he returned the embrace, closing even the smallest space between them.

Even the strongest people have a vulnerable side, they simply never let it show. That he got to see Tauriel's meant the world to him and if he had not known that she really did love him, he knew now.

Neither of them could tell for how long they stayed like this, time simply stood still and became of no importance.

" _Le melin..._" She whispered against his chest, closing her eyes at the same time.

" I love you too..." He answered smiling. "... and I always will."

After a while he noticed her breathing relax, and most tension leaving her body.

" Hey..." His voice was quiet, gentle. She did not react, but her steadily firm embrace told him that she was not yet asleep. Sighing, Kíli picked her up from the edge of the bed and moved her to the middle of it instead. Even though she should technically have the physical characteristics of a human now, she still weight nothing to him. And the _little_ bit she was taller than him did not make it too difficult to carry her after all.

She opened her eyes just a little as he let go of her to get into bed himself. "I am cold without you." Her voice was already clouded with sleep, which was still as adorable as in the morning.

Kíli smiled and got comfortable next to her, though his eyes were still fixed on Tauriel. The pale blue light illuminated her skin and made her look more fragile than she did anyway, without any armor or weapon.

" Come here..." He said finally and wrapped his arms around her once more.

" I can hear your heartbeat..." She murmured once her head was rested upon his chest.

Kíli smiled to himself. He loved this side of her already, even though he had just discovered it. Just like he had said earlier, she never failed to amaze him.

The warmth she radiated made him feel comfortable and at home. She _was _home.

He had never been this close to anyone, and he doubted that Tauriel had either. There was something about the way she talked about her past that just gave him the impression that she had experienced far too much loneliness in her life. The thought made him sad, and he pushed it out of his mind. He would make sure that she would never be lonely again, ever.

Intuitively tightening his hold on her, he finally closed his eyes as well and fell asleep to a feeling of warmth on the outside _and_ the inside.

_Nothing but stars, everywhere she looked. Tauriel was lying on soft grass, looking up into the night sky. She turned her head, looking at Kíli right next to her. A smile came to her lips, which he immediately returned. She turned her head back to the stars, only realizing now that she was holding Kíli's hand. The peace and the beauty of the scene calmed her and she felt happy, for some reason like there was simply white warmth and light in her. Suddenly she seemed to go out of her own body and observed the scene from the outside. She saw Kíli, but she did not recognize who she knew must be her. How she knew? She had no clue... Her view was back at the stars, they started moving, faster and faster, like in a race. _

_Panic arose in her. What was happening?! She turned her head to look at Kíli. But next to her was not Kíli. In fact there was nothing next to her. Even her hand that had felt warm before was cold now. The grass was not soft anymore, but it seemed to dig holes into her back. Her whole body hurt, her muscles would not obey and her head was spinning. Her view changed, she was standing now. In front of her there was Kíli again. Relieved, she wanted to reach out to him, but her body won't move. Not her feet, not her arms, nor even her eyes seemed to move. She stared ahead, seeing Kíli standing in front of her, just as motionless. Out of the corners of her eyes she saw someone, something else enter the picture. It was not more than a shadow, a darkness that ate everything in its way. It started to surround Kíli, and slowly he started to disappear in darkness. Tauriel screamed, or she wanted to, but no sound came out of her mouth. She tried to fight her own body, tried to move, to get to him! _

_But all she could do was witness as he vanished. Nothing remained, not even darkness that could be recognized as such. She heard Kíli's voice in her head, but she did not understand what he was saying. Everything was in a blur, she even felt as if she was in a blur. Someone was standing in front of her, a person she could not see, but yet she could. She did not understand, what was this, what was happening? Incredible pain ripped her whole body into pieces, she only knew pain, where did it come from? Why was she in such pain and yet felt nothing at all? She felt distant from herself. Her head hurt, where was Kíli!? Kíli. Kíli... The word echoed in her mind, she saw his face, his eyes sparkling like the time he had told her about the firemoon. Why did she see it? What was happening? Kíli... His body lay at her feet. What?! He was not dead! He was on the ground... Why was she far away? She wanted to reach him! Her feet won't move... She had to her to him! Desperation made her go crazy, she was screaming, silently. Her body was filled with heat, with darkness, with white light and heat... _

_She was lying on the ground, sinking into it, weight pulled her down, deeper and deeper. Kíli was the only thing on her mind. She wanted him to be there. Where was he? Where was she in the first place. Her mind was spinning, she felt sick. Her throat was burning. She wanted out of this. What was happening? She wanted out, she wanted to Kíli! He was not dead! Was he... No! What? His eyes... No he couldn't? He is not there. She is all alone. The ground gave in, she was falling. Electricity ran through her, shock remained. It was dark. _

She opened her eyes, panting.

" Mahal, are you alright?" Kíli was leaning over her. " You wouldn't wake up, I was so worried..."

" Kíli..." She breathed, irritated, panicking even. Salty tears were burning in her eyes, and on her cheeks. She sat up, and reached out until the tips of her fingers were touching his cheek. " I do not understand... What happened?"

" I wanted to ask you the same thing... I woke up to you turning and turning... As if in incredible pain... You said my name, over and over again!"

She shook her head, eyes closed, trying to fight her tears. " It was so real... But at the same time it was not, I do not know what is real and what is not anymore..."

Kíli started to understand, slowly, as the thought occurred to him that since she had never been sleeping, she had never had a nightmare either.

" It is alright..." He whispered and hugged her to him once more. " It was only a bad dream, none of it was real..."

Tauriel felt herself relaxing once he had his arms wrapped around her. How did he do this?

After a few minutes her breathing was back to its normal state and she felt calm and save once more.

" What happened to me?" She asked finally, still confused about what she had experienced.

" It was a nightmare, a simple but mean product of your imagination..." He tried to explain, while drawing circles on her back with his hand. " Nothing of it is real... It only feels like it is. They haunt everyone from time to time. You can tell me about it, if you want to. It helps."

" There is not much to say... I did not understand most of it myself." She first said, trying to remember what happened and put it in words. "But it was about you, and me... You were there, but then all of sudden you were gone... I did not know where you went, something took you away from me, I felt so alone, and lost..."

" I am here now, amrâlimê, it's alright..." He said and rested his head against hers.

" Please don't go where I cannot follow..." Her voice was just a whisper, barely a breath.

" I promise." He answered, completely serious. But then he smiled. " I could not do without you after all... I would be the one who is lost, without my guardian angel, without you..."

Tauriel opened her eyes, looking at Kíli now. " You always speak as if I was such a strong person... But look at me now, my own imagination breaks me."

" I am looking at you, and what I see is still the same strong person you always have been. Actually right now you are stronger than ever before. It requires a lot more bravery to love someone and let them see beyond the walls you build up around yourself. Because inside those walls, everybody is vulnerable. It is upon you to decide who you let see beyond."

" Alright..." She said and a smile came to her lips.

" And if you have another nightmare, I will be right next to you..." He said after some time.

" And I will be next to you." She answered, feeling just as protective as she felt protected. How on earth had she lived without this before? How could the people of Mirkwood? But after all, they were not her concern anymore.

" Ready to go back to sleep?" Kíli asked eventually.

" Ready and happy to." Her voice was more cheerful than he had expected.

Just as they were, wrapped up in each other embrace, they lay down and did not bother to let go.

Tauriel was about to doze off once more when she heard a faint knock on the door. But she was simply too tired to do anything about it.

Kíli also heard it, but chose to ignore it. Whatever it was, it could wait until the morning.

But yet, the person on the other side did not give up. The knocking got louder and louder, until it was almost a thunder.

" Whoever it is, go away." Kíli said, just loud enough to be heard on the other side. But the knocking did not stop.

Tauriel growled, annoyed, and hid her head between Kíli's shoulder and his chin.

The knocking stopped, and instead the door was thrown open.

Surprised, Kíli sat up, his eyes fixed on the person standing in their room in darkness. He pulled Tauriel up with him.

" Seriously, answer your door!" Fíli stood in the room, obviously feeling uncomfortable with the situation.

" By your beard, Fee you can't just storm into people's rooms!" Kíli exclaimed.

" I knocked." Fíli answered simply. " Now get up."

" No! You cannot storm into people's room, _even after knocking_, and tell them to get up in the middle of the night!" Kíli continued his argument.

" It is important!" Fíli said, not even reacting to Kíli.

" _Aníron gen haded min noer Orodruin..._" grumbled Tauriel, which caused Kíli to chuckle.

" What did she say?" Fíli asked.

" Nothing you would want to know..." Kíli laughed. " I understood only parts of it, but it was enough."

" I said I want to hurl you into the fires of Mt. Doom." Tauriel said, trying to suppress a yawn. " For waking us up."

Fíli stared at her for a second, but then continued. " You would have every right to, if my reason to wake you up was not so important."

Sighing, Kíli realized that there was no way they would get around this. " What is so important then?"

" Bilbo, he's gone!"

" What do you mean, he is gone?" Tauriel was wide awake suddenly.

" He is not in his room..."

" How do you know?" Kíli asked. He still had to decide if this was worth getting up. Maybe he was in the bathroom or simply strolling around.

" His door is open. I saw it when I went to get some water, he is not in his room nor in the bathroom."

That made Kíli wonder. Where was their friend? " If he is walking around here somewhere, he is probably lost. After all we don't even know exactly where we are." With that he got up and put on his shoes. " We need to go and look for him."

" Exactly." Fíli answered.

Tauriel was also getting up, and only realized that she was still not wearing too much when she was already standing. It is just Fíli, she calmed herself. In order to save time she only put on her trousers and boots.

" Alright, let's go." Kíli said and they left the room. " I do not think that he went back up the stairs, we would have heard that."

" True..." Fíli answered and thus they walked into the other direction which was yet unknown.

Tauriel tried to remember every turn they took, and counted the minutes they went straight into one direction, since she assumed that both Fíli and Kíli had forgotten about how they would find their way back later on. Her previous experiences in the kingdom that did not exist had taught her that much.

" Bilbo!" Kíli shouted, his voice echoing through the hallway. " Biiiilllbboooo!"

" If anyone else was sleeping down here, they are awake now..." Fíli mumbled.

" How many possibilities are there for where he might be?" Tauriel asked.

" Uhm... A few hundred, just in this section." Fíli answered, slightly embarrassed.

" Great..." She said sarcastically, but then took a deep breath. " So a plain search is almost impossible. We need to think of a strategy, one that will rule out most possibilities."

" Any suggestions?" Kíli asked. " I mean it is not like we can ask him where he would go..."

" No, not indeed..." Tauriel said and stopped in track. " But we can draw conclusions out of what we know. Which reason might be there for why he might go into this direction?"

" Maybe he wanted to take a walk..." Kíli suggested.

" Bilbo? In the middle of the night?" Fíli raised an eyebrow at his brother. " Not very likely..."

" Then he might look for something." Kíli suggested.

" For what exactly?" Tauriel was onto something, Kíli could tell.

" Maybe for uncle?" He suggested.

" But then again he heard him go back up the stairs, so he knows that he could not by any means be in this direction." Tauriel said.

" Maybe he... wanted some food?" Fíli said and shrugged.

" He had plenty at the feast..." Kíli answered. " Even a hobbit cannot eat that much."

" Then he might have wanted to drink some water, just like I did..." Fíli tried once more.

" And he would do that most likely at the bathroom." Tauriel said. " But since he was not at the bathroom as you told us, and since I cannot see any reason why he would intentionally go into this direction, my conclusion would be that he accidentally walked into the wrong direction. Maybe his mind was still clouded with sleep."

" Sounds reasonable..." Fíli answered, and Kíli nodded.

" What if we walked into this direction in the same way as if we would walk into the opposite one to get to the bathroom? It would at least be worth a try!" Tauriel suggested.

" It would certainly limit the possibilities!" Kíli smiled. " This sounds like you have done something like this before..."

" Actually I have not... I just wish to go back to bed as fast as possible and thus I try my best to be creative about reducing the time we spend out here." She answered, making both Kíli and Fíli smile.

" Now, we only have to find a hobbit..." Fíli sighed.

" _Only_?!"

**_To be continued..._**

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**Hope you liked this chapter, as in the next one we will continue to search for Mr. _Boggins_ ;)**

**Sorry for the late update, but college has a way of interfering with my true calling (writing of course, hehe)!**

**Love to y'all!**


	15. Thorin's Hobbit

"_Only_?!" Kíli said, " It is still not easy!"

" We should try at least." Tauriel answered and took Kíli by the hand, pulling him after her into a darker hallway, Fíli followed close behind.

" What if we do not find him?" Kíli asked.

" We will find him. We have to." Tauriel responded, confidently.

They took the same turns as if they were heading into the other direction, until soon after they faced a problem.

" We would be supposed to go left... But the only option is to walk straight ahead or to the right." Tauriel looked at the dark paths ahead. " Where could these lead?"

" Anywhere, really..." Kíli answered. " Is it too dark, maybe we should go back and get any light."

" We would easily get lost..." Fíli added.

" No, I am not going back. It is only darkness, we will be fine. We need to find Bilbo." Tauriel said and started for the one on the right.

" Tauriel!" Kíli hissed and immediately went after her. Sighing Fíli followed. Why not get lost in the middle of the night?

" Kíli?" Tauriel asked after some time as she stopped walking. It was too dark to even see one's own hands.

" I'm here..." He answered from directly in front of her.

She reached out, finding him in the dark, and took his hand. " I do not want to get lost indeed. Not without you anyway."

Fíli heard them talking but could not spot nor sense them anywhere. " I would love to join you, if I only could find you!"

" Follow my voice..." Kíli answered. " We will all walk together, this makes most sense." Fíli bumped into someone, relieved to at least have found them. The next moment he had Kíli's hand in his face. " Fee? You there?" Fíli took his hand, grumbling.

Slowly they made their way through the darkness, careful not to run into something or each other.

" I doubt that Bilbo is here..." Fíli said eventually.

" If we do not look here, where else would you search for him?" Tauriel asked and continued walking. She was determined to find Bilbo, even though she had just met him a few hours ago. He had already become her friend and she cared about him.

Suddenly, as she took another step, there was no ground under her feet anymore and she fell forward.

Kíli held onto her hand with every power he had. " Tauriel! Keep hold of my hand!" He still could not see a single thing, but he could tell that she was not standing as her whole weight was pulling at his hands.

" Kíli!" She cried out, worried, but her voice also filled with panic from the sudden fall. " Do not make another step forward, we must be at the edge of something!"

Kíli had both his hands wrapped around her arm, making every possible effort to pull her back up.

" What is happening?" Asked Fíli nervously.

Luckily Kíli was stronger than he looked and shortly after she was back on solid ground. He did not need light to kneel down and wrap his arms around her protectively. " Are you alright?" He whispered.

" Yes." She said calmly, reassuringly. " I'm fine, I was simply not expecting to fall off an edge from one second to the next."

They got up from the ground, finding Fíli in the dark. " What if Bilbo fell off this... whatever it is?"

Tauriel felt the heat rising to her cheeks, fear and worry getting the better of her at the thought. She could not deny that it would be possible.

" Kíli..." She said quietly and reached out for his hand once more. Once he had a firm grip on her, she turned into the direction of the edge once more.

" Bilbo?" She asked into the darkness. No response.

" Biiiilllbboooo?!" Kíli shouted. Tauriel was far too quiet for these halls, but she would learn.

Far down under them they heard a sound, like stones crashing against each other. " Is someone up there?" It was Bilbo's voice, getting closer to them as if he was walking towards them on the level below.

" Bilbo! What are you doing down there? Are you hurt?" Fíli shouted down.

" I am alright, but it would be nice to get back to my bed..." He said, sounding quite miserable.

" How deep is it?" Tauriel asked, " How can we get to you?"

" It should not be more than fifteen feet!" He answered.

" You are not thinking about what I think you are thinking about..." Kíli said to Tauriel. She would not go to get him, he did not want her to get hurt.

" But we need to get him out of there!" She responded, confidently, but then lowered her voice and laid her free hand onto Kíli's cheek. " I only want him safe, and then for us to go back to sleep... I will be fine, _melleth nín..._" As it was too dark for everyone else to witness, she leaned down and gave him a brief kiss on the forehead. The next moment she let go of his hand and he felt the emptiness where she had just been standing.

" Careful, Bilbo..." She warned him and sat down before pushing herself off the edge.

" Is everything fine down there?" Kíli asked immediately, but got no answer.

" She is alright, you needn't worry..." Fíli said to Kíli and placed a hand reassuringly on his brother's shoulder.

" Bilbo?" Tauriel asked once she had more or less gracefully landed on the ground.

" Right next to you."

She reached out and instantly had curly hair under her fingers. " If you get up onto my shoulders, Kíli and Fíli can most likely lift you over the edge!"

" And what about you?" Bilbo asked. " How will you get back up?"

She remained silent only for a second too long. " I will think of something." With that she helped him onto her shoulders. He was heavier than she had expected, but she would not complain.

" Kíli!" She shouted up to the two others. " Try if you can lift Bilbo up!"

Fíli and Kíli knelt down at the edge, careful not to fall, and searched in the dark for Bilbo's hands.

" I got him!" Fíli finally said and got a grip on Bilbo's sleeve, then his arms. Kíli helped and only a short moment later they had Bilbo next to them.

" Thank you..." The hobbit said, a little embarrassed.

Tauriel let her hand run along the wall closest to her. It had many small ledges, perfect for climbing back up if one only was tall enough to reach them.

" Tauriel?" Kíli asked from above her.

" I'm still here..." She responded and got a hold on the wall, pulling herself up from the ground.

" I am coming down to you." Kíli determined finally, but he did not get far.

" No! Stay there, I am coming back up." Tauriel said, searching for anything above her to hold on to.

" How are you getting back up here?" Fíli asked, irritated.

" Climbing." She simply said, concentrating on every step she made.

It was difficult enough to climb with absolutely no sight but additionally she was tired and so were her muscles. Holding onto the wall made her finger and arms burn, but at least she was slowly moving upwards.

" Say something please..." Kíli pleaded, staring into the dark.

" _Dartho..._" She huffed, finally getting a hold on what she thought to be the edge. But there was no higher place to stand on and thus she could barely pull herself up any higher. " I think I might be holding onto the edge, but I cannot get further up."

" Do not let go!" Kíli said and knelt down, searching.

" I did not plan to let go..." Tauriel chuckled, even though keeping her position was slowly getting really difficult.

Finally Kíli found her in the dark and grabbed her forearms. Tauriel in return let go of the cold stone and instead wrapped her hands around his wrists. In an instant she was standing with the others.

" Thank you..." She said, a little out of breath. Kíli took her hand in the dark and held on to it tightly, but did not say a word. He did not have to after all, she could tell what he meant to express.

" Now, we should really get back into the light!" Fíli said and tugged on Kíli's sleeve. They made their way back down the dark hallways quickly, until they finally saw a faint light at the end of a straight one.

" Finally..." Tauriel said as they entered the light part of the hallway. She looked first at Kíli, who seemed to be fine, then at Bilbo. " Are you alright?" She asked him, concerned.

" Yes... Thank you very much by the way, for coming after me and especially for helping me out of that ravine..."

" Why on earth did you walk into this direction?" Asked Kíli.

" I meant to go to the bathroom." He answered, " I was still more asleep than awake and walked into the wrong direction. Once I realized this, I was already lost. I sincerely hope that you at least know where we are and how we find our way back..."

Kíli looked at Fíli and shrugged. " I was focused on finding Bilbo! Uncle would have killed us if we had lost his hobbit down here!"

" I am _not_ his hobbit!" Bilbo repeated for the second time that night.

" If I am honest, my attention was at a different place as well." Fíli said, " But I might find the way back..."

" I know the way back..." Tauriel said sweetly and grinned. " If you would follow me..."

She walked ahead, a proudly grinning Kíli behind her, after him an exhausted Bilbo and finally a resigned Fíli. It did not take them long to come to their hallway and they stopped in the center of the three doors.

" Now, how did you do this?" Fíli asked curiously.

" I counted the minutes on our way there and memorized the turns. The way back was simply the opposite!" She smiled. " I simply wanted to ensure that we could return to our beds without any more interventions."

" That lass deserves a feast all for herself!" Fíli laughed and gave Kíli a nudge with his elbow. " She is becoming a better dwarf than you are!"

" Oh zip it Fee!" Kíli protested. " She is far better than any dwarf!"

" Why thank you very much!" Tauriel laughed, " Now if you do not mind I would love to go back to bed, and Kíli is coming with me. Good night!"

" Good night..." Bilbo and Fíli said at the same time, smiled and retreated to their rooms.

Once again Kíli closed the door to their room after them. " I really do hope this was the last time for tonight..."

Tauriel sighed, got rid of trousers and boots and climbed back into the bed in the matter of a few seconds. Only now she realized that there were covers lying at the other end, neatly folded and piled. She took the biggest one and wrapped it around herself before lying down on her side, watching Kíli get into bed next to her.

He lay down facing her, his face almost touching hers, smiling but not saying anything.

They just smiled at each other for a short time, before she finally unwrapped her blanket, pulled him closer and wrapped the blanket tightly around both of them instead.

" It is cold..." She breathed, closing her eyes.

Kíli laid his arms around her, pulling her so close that not even a single sheet of paper would have fit between them. " Better now?"

She smiled. " Much better."And so they drifted off to sleep once more.

Several hours later when Tauriel woke up, Kíli was still fast asleep. His arms were still tightly wrapped around her wait which made her smile. She listened to his calm breathing for a minute and fell back into a comfortable sleep.

As Kíli opened his eyes some time later, he felt as content and happy as he possibly could. He looked at Tauriel in his arms... and his heart wanted to leap out of his chest. How could someone possibly make him so happy by their mere presence? She looked utterly adorable, relaxed features, messed up hair and snuggled into him. The day had just started and he was already sure that it was one of the best he has ever had.

Then he heard the knock on the door. Sighing he got up, careful not to wake her, and walked to the door.

" Really, Fee, waking us up once is bad enough, but now _again_?!" He groaned quietly once he saw his brother's face on the other side of the door.

" Again, I have a good enough reason. If you do not get up now we will be late for meeting uncle and we should not make him wait." Fíli said. " So this time my intention is to wake you up indeed."

" Great, I am awake now." Kíli mumbled. " Thank you very much."

The voices caused Tauriel to open her eyes, finding Kíli standing in the door. She intended to ask if everything was alright, but instead she only mumbled his name, her voice still sleepy.

He turned around, giving her the most amazing smile. " Good morning amrâlimê..."

She returned his smile, but her eyes would still barely stay open.

Kíli turned back to his brother. " We will get ready. Did you tell Bilbo yet?"

" We have been walking around the hallways here all morning, waiting for you to get up..." Fíli answered, grinning. " Now, just go and get ready, I will not be late again because of you!"

Kíli rolled his eyes and closed the door, walking back to Tauriel who had her eyes closed again. As he stood right next to her side, his smile returned. " I am really sorry, but you will have to get up..."

" No..." She grumbled back at him and hugged the blanket to herself. Kíli chuckled in return. " Oh yes you do."

Tauriel simply ignored him. Grinning he shook his head at her. This required different methods.

So he leaned over her and captured her lips with his. Then, instead of remaining like he was, he pulled back slowly, making her follow his movement to not break the kiss. Eventually as he had almost gotten her to sit up, he took a step away.

She remained sitting, looking at him bemused and mostly awake. " That is a very nice way of being woken up."

" Next time I will go for a bucket of cold water over the head..." He teased her, enjoying her glare and also her chuckle. " Now, Fíli is pacing around outside, waiting for us to get ready. We will move into other rooms today!"

Tauriel got up, sighing. " I really liked this room... The light is beautiful!" She put on her clothes, so did Kíli.

" We will find something even better!" Kíli promised and smiled. Once they were ready, they left the room and stepped into the hallway.

" Finally we can go..." Fíli announced outside.

" Good morning!" Bilbo said, a lot friendlier.

Tauriel smiled at him. She could completely understand why everyone had grown so fond of this hobbit.

" We are not mentioning anything about last night's incident, alright? Thorin would have us beheaded if he knew that we let his hobbit get into danger!"

" I am not... You know what, I am honored to be his hobbit!" Bilbo said resigned.

" It is very wise of you to finally accept the fact that you are indeed his hobbit." Kíli grinned. " It is not a bad thing at all, he would give you everything you ask for and even more!"

Bilbo blushed and crossed his arms in front of his chest. " Is that so?"

" You are simply very important to him; he does only care about very few people. So you are special." Fíli said, more diplomatically.

" So are you!" Commented Tauriel, looking at Fíli first, then at Kíli. " He loves you, even if he does not show it."

" He has a hard time with emotions other than anger..." Kíli sighed, still grinning. " But those times might be over after all, he has never smiled as much as when Bilbo is around!" He gently nudged the hobbit in the shoulder.

" He likes you too..." Fíli said to Tauriel. " You might not be Bilbo, but he does indeed like you!"

" Am I a measure now, for how much Thorin likes people?" Bilbo asked in return.

" You are the very unreachable top of the scale!"

" Together with you!" Bilbo complained.

" Weren't you the one afraid to be late?" Asked Tauriel to Fíli with a smirk.

" Yes. We are leaving." He answered quickly.

They made their way back up the stairs, through hallways and halls until they finally came into the main hall where Thorin was awaiting them. But he was not alone, in fact quite many people were standing with him. Humans.

" What are they doing here?" Kíli whispered as they approached the group.

" We will find out now."

_**To be continued...**_

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**Yay here is another chapter! :) Hope you enjoyed it! Oh, _dartho_ means 'wait' by the way ;) **

**See you with the next one, let me know what you think! Love ya'll :3**


	16. A new room

Tauriel, Kíli, Fíli and Bilbo approached the small group standing in the middle of the hall, while several pairs of eyes followed them through the room.

" I hope you had a pleasant night..." Said Thorin and nodded his head at the four of them.

" Yes thank you!" Bilbo answered first, a little bit too quickly. " It was fine!"

Thorin frowned at them for a second but did not ask about it. Instead his eyes wandered over his nephews and finally stayed with Tauriel. " Here are some people who desire to speak to you."

Surprised Tauriel looked at the small crowd of men behind Thorin. She spotted Bard's daughters, but otherwise she did not recognize anyone.

" What do they want?" Asked Kíli, a sense of protectiveness in his voice.

" As I said, they desire to speak to Tauriel." Thorin said calmly, but his face gave away that he wanted to roll his eyes at his nephew. No one made an attempt to move, they just continued to look at each other, waiting for something to happen. Sighing quietly Thorin grabbed Kíli's sleeve with one hand, Fíli's with the other and motioned Bilbo to go ahead, away from the group of men.

Kíli wanted to protest, but he was dragged away before he could even speak up.

Tauriel looked after the four of them, smiling at Kíli once their eyes met, as a sign that it was alright. Then she turned her attention back to the group in front of her.

Many eyes observed her, some with incredible sharpness to them and others with just the same amount of warmth. For a long time they remained silent and simply observed each other. Bard's daughters, Sigrid and Tilda, smiled at her which caused her to return the friendly gesture.

Finally someone she did not know spoke up. " So you are Tauriel?"

She had to hide her laughter; they were here to speak to her and did not even know her? " That appears to be the case..."

" Bard sent us..." The man continued, " He cannot be here unfortunately, but he wants to thank you for saving his daughters from the dragon fire and bringing them to the shore."

" I feel honored, but I do not need to be thanked as my actions were of no greater importance than the actions of anyone else that day."

" But we felt safe with you..." Tilda said. " And our father wants to thank you for what you did and not anyone else!"

Tauriel smiled at the young girl. " That is very nice of him."

" We came to know that you will be living in Erebor from now on..." Sigrid spoke up, "And we thought this might be of use for you..." She handed Tauriel an in linen wrapped package. " You might want to open it later."

Surprised, Tauriel looked at the item in her hands. " Why thank you... But-"

" No, please, it is for you. It was made for you and it is yours to keep." Sigrid interrupted her.

" There is something else..." The man spoke to her once more. " We could not bring it unfortunately, but it is waiting for you in Dale. We are rebuilding the city, once you appear people will know what to do."

She frowned. " Why would they recognize me?"

" You are quite well known among both men and dwarfs; your actions have drawn attention. Except for that, someone other than a dwarf staying in Erebor was unheard of until now." He explained.

Tauriel nodded along and smiled finally. " Whatever it is you intend on giving me, I cannot accept all of this... It is way too much for the little I did!"

" Oh, it is not a gift!" The man laughed, " It is indeed another custom piece, but it is an ordered one!"

" Who ordered it then?" She asked, wondering.

" That I cannot tell you, as I do not even know it myself."

To Tauriel this all sounded very mysterious. Why would they not simply tell her what it was?

" We better go now..." He said and looked at the two girls next to him. They nodded.

" Thank you very much!" Tauriel said and bowed her head, " I am most certain that we will see each other again."

The two girls smiled at her happily and the man also bowed his head, then they left into the direction of the doors.

With the linen package still in her hands, she walked into the direction that Thorin and the others has disappeared into. She reached another hall, but they still were nowhere to be seen. The hall was so great she did not dare to say a single word, as if it would all crash down on her if she made a sound. Once she stood in the middle of it, she looked up at the ceiling which was higher than she could have imagined. The kingdom under the mountain was truly as impressive and beautiful in its own way as she had been told. Her new home...

Suddenly a pair of arms wrapped around her wait and she was lifted up. Tauriel let out a surprised squeal, but then chuckled. " I was looking for you!"

" I was never gone..." Kíli responded and even though she could not see his face, she knew that he was grinning. He set her down again, and she turned around to him.

" What was that about?" He asked curiously.

" I thought you were never gone, so you would have to know..." She teased him in return.

" I was only _watching_, I did not hear anything!"

" Well..." She looked at the bundle in her hands, " Bard and his daughters wanted to thank me for helping when Smaug desolated lake town. They told me to open it later, so I assume it is not something for public display... And we need to visit Dale today."

" Dale?" Kíli asked irritated. " Why Dale?"

" They are rebuilding the city... It seems like you will have neighbors once more after such a long time!" She smiled. " And I was told to go there in order to receive something else, which is not a gift but was ordered for me!"

" Do know what it might be?" He asked, his voice and face excited.  
Tauriel shook her head. " They would not tell me... We will have to find it out then!"

" There you are!" Thorin said as he approached them, together with Fíli and Bilbo. " Which part of 'follow me' is so hard to understand for you, Kíli?" But his voice was not angered as they might have expected, but much rather bemused. " Come, I will show you to your rooms."

Smiling the four of them followed Thorin through a few hallways, which were a lot easier to memorize than the ones they had passed the previous night.

" Finding rooms for Bilbo and Fíli was rather easy, I simply picked the most beautiful ones. But for you two..." Thorin looked at Kíli and Tauriel, " I had more difficulties, especially after seeing the room you chose for last night."

" The blue gems were of incredible beauty..." Tauriel said quietly, with a sigh.

" And that is why I found you a similar room." Thorin announced. " But I have to warn you, the rooms you found last night were for guests... These rooms are a little different."

" Like our old ones?" Fíli asked, excited at the thought.

" Greater, but yes, very similar." Thorin answered and looked at the four of them. " Your rooms are in the same hallway, but at different ends. Mine lays right in the middle, Bilbo's does too. Fíli is on the west end and Kíli you two will be at the east end."

" He has to keep an eyes on his hobbit..." Whispered Kíli to his brother which made him snort.

Thorin raised an eyebrow at them, but did not comment on it any further. Instead he opened a door to their left. " This will be Fíli's. I have to admit, it is the only room worthy of someone who will one day be king." They all entered the room and admired its high ceiling, great lighting and the beautiful art and decoration craved into the stone.

Then they went on and cane across Bilbo's room, which lay opposite to Thorin's. It was a lot smaller, but it fit the rather short hobbit, as it was cozy and warm looking.

They skipped Thorin's room and walked to the end of the hallway where they found only one single door. Behind it lay a room in between the sizes of the previous two rooms and it was similar in design. The walls were carefully decorated with engravings, patterns and letters, while they were still mostly plain. There was a fire place, which made Tauriel wonder about the different mechanisms they had once more.

" I suggest you first of all make yourselves at home..." Thorin said. " Tonight there is a gathering, nothing special, a simple dinner, as addition to yesterday- but without the humans and the whole kingdom."

" We plan to visit Dale today!" Kíli said, without any further intentions than to inform his uncle.

" As long as you are back in time you are free to do whatever you desire. For now, I can only hope you feel comfortable in your rooms."

" And if not?" Kíli teased.

" Then you don't." Thorin answered simply. " If you excuse me now..." He left the room, Bilbo and Fíli following.

" Would you mind knocking on my door once you decide to leave for Dale?" Fíli asked before he walked out.

" Of course not." Tauriel smiled friendly before Kíli could give another witty remark. Fíli nodded at his brother and closed the door behind themselves.

Sighing Kíli walked over to the bed standing in a corner of the room and let himself fall onto it.

Tauriel for her part continued to look around. The bed Kíli was lying on was even bigger than the one in the other room; if she would lay down in the middle, she would not reach the edge at any side, even with her arms above her head.

There was a desk with different drawers, which she did not dare to open though.

The only other items in the room were a table and a wardrobe, which turned out to be empty.

She turned back to look at Kíli and found him watching her. Then he pointed to the ceiling without another word, just a simple smile.

Tauriel looked up and immediately her face light up. The whole ceiling was covered in the same blue gems, giving a precise display of the night sky, with every detail. Every star was in the right place.

" This is beautiful..." She said quietly, amazed.

" Yes, sometimes uncle has a good taste..." Kíli grinned. " So do you like the room?"

She looked back at him and nodded. Then she turned her attention to the bundle in her hands, Kíli's eyes following hers. Once she was sitting on the bed as well, she removed the ribbon and unfolded the different pieces she found.  
" They gave me clothing!" She smiled and admired the fine fabrics. " This is of good use indeed..."

" They must have known that you are quite a bit too tall for dwarven clothing..."

" Is it that obvious?" She said sarcastically.

In fact they had given her three different pieces: dark gray trousers, a cloak in the same color and a dark blue top with long sleeves and golden detailing at the neckline and the hem. It was cut in a strange was, making it difficult to see what it would actually look like.

" You should try it on!" Kíli said excitedly. " This is a very generous gift, one which you definitely deserve!"

Quickly she changed into the new clothes, but found that she could not wear her green dress underneath and thus she simply left it aside. " How do I look?" She asked once she was all done.

The blue top turned out to be reaching her knees, but just in the front and the back, as both sides had a cut going up to her hips. It was very tight, on purpose, but yet very comfortable.

The colors looked a lot like the ones the dwarfs wore, and also the golden patterns did not seem as if it was made by men.

To answer her question, Kíli raised his eyebrows. " You know what I am going to answer..."

" Yes, I can imagine..." She smiled. " But this is about the clothing, not about me, so please, how does it look?"

" It fits you perfectly... And it is practical, ehm... elegant... Very dwarfish, yet not really... What I mean is that it beautiful and you really do look like you belong here!" He tried, even though clothing was not really his field of concern, neither was it hers after all.

" Now I only need a neat braid... Would you mind?" She asked sweetly even though she knew that he loved to play with her hair.

Tauriel sat down on the edge of the bed, Kíli behind her. It only took a few minutes until he released her hair again, admiring his work.

" This turned out pretty good..." He smiled.

" It feels different than the one from yesterday..." She commented once she got to touch it.

" It is different indeed, but not any less beautiful!"

" Well, I will trust you then!" Her lips pulled into a loving smile. " Ready to go to Dale?"

" Ready when you are!" He jumped off the bed and stood next to her.

Still smiling, she took her new cloak with her and together they left the room.

Once they passed Fíli's door, Tauriel remembered that they had agreed to let him know when they were leaving.

" Do not talk about politics with anyone!" He said as a warning, then wished them good luck.

Finally they made their way out of the mountain and in into the direction of Dale.

" Well, now we shall see what else is waiting for you!"

_**To be continued...**_

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**Yayyy another chapter! The next one is going to be more fun! :) **

**Hope you liked this thoug!**

**See you sooooonnn :3**


	17. The bow trial

Finally they made their way out of the mountain and into the direction of Dale.

Once they left the mountain, the cold hit them like spears and the brightness of the day blinded them.

" The light makes my head hurt..." Said Tauriel quietly as she put on her new cloak. It was nice and warm and went down to her ankles.

" Not only yours..." Kíli chuckled. " But after a few minutes it goes away!"

And indeed, they started walking and soon Tauriel's eyes adjusted to the brightness.

" So what do you think you will receive in Dale?" Kíli asked curiously.

" I have not the slightest idea..." Tauriel smiled. " I do not even know who I will have to talk to."

" That is strange... Men can be really weird sometimes!" He frowned, but then looked up at her and smiled. " We should bet what it will be!"

She raised an eyebrow as she looked down at him with a smirk. " Bet? For that I would have to have an idea about what it might be!"  
" You can simply guess..." Kíli suggested. " It is a long way to Dale!"

" It is not that long, Kíli..." She responded with a chuckle. " And I never guess!"

" Now is a good time to start then..." He grinned.

" Oh well..." She sighed, " I think it might be... more clothes."

" Honestly? You did not even try to make a serious guess!" He complained, but smiled. " I guess... It is food."

" Honestly?" She mimicked his tone, " Food?"

" It is most likely neither..." He commented. " We will simply have to see!"

" That is what I said..." She grinned.

" Indeed, amrâlimê, that's what you said..." He smiled to himself. " By the way, I simply have to mention it once more, you look truly incredible."

" Why thank you very much..." She smiled. " I am convinced it must be your braid that does most for it."

" The braid simply underlines your beauty!" He said it as a matter of fact. As an answer, she simply took his hand and gave it a gentle squeeze, but did not let it go afterwards.

They walked by a few people on their way, but no one really seem to take notice of them.

" So this is Dale?" Tauriel asked as they came closer to the city.

" It used to be... It is only ruins now." Kíli answered, " Haven't you been here before?"

" I was... It was covered in ice and snow, and I was blind to everything around me, it was simply..." She closed her eyes. " It was during the battle. I do not remember most of it..."

" What do you remember?" He asked.

" Grief, pain, desperation... Sobbing over your body..." She looked down at their interlaced hands.

" Hey..." He said warmly, " I am here... It is alright!"

" I know..." She looked back up and smiled.

Now that they were entering the city, more people crossed their way, and most had a look of surprise on their faces once they saw Tauriel and Kíli's interlaced hands.

" Where should we go?" Kíli asked, looking at the different tents and booths people had built up.

" I was told that my appearance would be enough for them to know what I desire..." She followed his example and looked around until her eyes remained with a man who was staring right back at her. " Kíli..." She said and tugged on his hand, her eyes never leaving the stranger. Kíli looked up at her and followed her gaze, but once his eyes met the stranger's, the man turned away and disappeared in an old house.

Tauriel looked at Kíli, who only shrugged. Suddenly someone tapped her on the shoulder. In the matter of a second, she turned around, grabbed the arm that was still not far from her shoulder and twisted it to an uncomfortable angle.

The person the arm belonged to immediately let out a yelp and sank down to their knees.

" You most certainly must be Tauriel..." The man at her feet groaned.

Tauriel let go of the arm instantly. " I am so sorry, it is a reflex..."

The man got back up and smiled. " I should not have approached you from behind, with what I have heard of you, I should have expected a reaction like this."

" What have you heard of her?" Asked Kíli skeptically and tightened his grip on her hand.

" Only what everyone has heard, master dwarf." The man answered respectfully.

Still, Kíli frowned, but did not comment on it.

" Do you know what I am here for?" Tauriel asked the man.

" Indeed I do, if you would please follow me..." He said and walked off towards a small path between houses. Tauriel and Kíli looked at each other, but then followed closely behind the man.

" I am sure Dale used to be beautiful..." Tauriel commented while walking, " And it will be once again when they have rebuilt it."

Kíli smiled and before he could answer, the man in front of them took a turn and walked into a building.

" Here we are..." He said to the two of them, " Wait here." Then he left.

Kíli sighed and smiled up at Tauriel, who rather seemed to enjoy the whole situation, as he could see excitement all over her face.

A few seconds later, yet another man walked into the room.

" Lady Tauriel..." He said politely and bowed his head in front of her. She returned the gesture and realized that he was carrying a bow and multiple arrows, of a kind that was very unlikely for men.

" Your bow..." She said, " It is very impressive. May I take a look at it?"

He held it out to her, and she let her fingers run across the craved wood. It had been a long time since she had seen a bow of this quality, even the one she had owned was not nearly as good.

" Where did you get this?" She asked curiously and passed the bow on to Kíli who was just as interested in the weapon.

" I made it myself." The man answered without the slightest hint of pride, " It is my profession."

" You are very skilled, this is a beautiful weapon..." She said as Kíli handed the bow back.

" It is yours!" The man said and laid it into her hands once more. " I had very specific instructions to make this for you."

" Who gave you this order? And who paid for it?" She asked in surprise and a wide smile came to her face.

" Does that really matter?" The man asked, " Is it not enough for it to be yours?"

" For me it does, as I wish to thank the person who had this made for me." She responded.

" In fact it was not one person, but several. Yet, it is not for me to tell you who." He said and handed her a quiver with arrows. " It was a pleasure to meet you!" Then, just like the man before, he left the room.

Tauriel looked at the bow, then at Kíli. " I assume we both lost our bet then..."

" And I assume you are right in your assumption!" He grinned at her, " If it was not you amrâlimê, I would be jealous of every person who owns this bow!"

" Should we go try it out?" She asked smiling. " If it is only half as good as I imagine, I could shoot a walnut off your head from fifty feet away."

" You are good enough to do this with even the worst bow!" He smiled.

" Maybe not anymore..." She responded, " I do not know to what extend my shooting skills were taken from me."

" Your fighting and knife throwing skills were clearly not affected, so why should you have trouble shooting?" He asked.

" We will see..." She said simply, " Maybe you are right!"

" So are you up for a competition then?" He teased her.

" Be ready to loose." Tauriel grinned at him. " First of all we need to get you a bow!"

" Back at the mountain we should find one... And we can ask Fíli to declare a winner!" Kíli pulled her out of the rotten house and along the way they had come earlier.

Tauriel loved her new bow, it was very lightweight and comfortable to carry over her shoulders. It would be so much fun to shoot with...

" Do you know what time it is?" She asked suddenly as she remembered Thorin's warning to be back in time for the gathering.

" Maybe noon, but not much later..." He answered happily. " We still have plenty of time!"

The way back to the mountain was quick, and soon they found themselves in the main hall.  
" Now, where do we find you a bow?" Tauriel asked and looked at Kíli, who simply grinned at her.

" If you would follow me..." He said sweetly and lead her down a long hallway. At the end there was a heavy door, which he pushed open. Behind it lay a room filled with all kinds of weapons.

" This is impressive..." Tauriel looked around and smiled, " I like weapons..."

Kíli could not hide his chuckle. " Of course you do...It makes me adore you even more."

She turned around to him and felt the heat rising to her cheeks. But she did not say a thing as she watched him wander around the room.

" Here it is!" He said joyfully, " A bow that is good enough to help me beat you!" But if Kíli was honest, he knew that he could never beat her. For once because he knew that she was a thousand times better than him anyway, and also he simply did not want to. He liked how her face lit up when she won over him. It made him happy, and proud.

Finally he grabbed a quiver and stepped next to her. " Now, should we ask Fíli to accompany us? We need a neutral observer!"

" And you would consider your _brother _to be neutral?" She laughed at his comment.

He chose not to answer but instead looked at her with raised eyebrows and headed for the door. Tauriel followed closely behind him.

A few minutes later they were standing in front of Fíli's door, knocking. But no one answered.

" I think he is not here..." Tauriel said grinning after Kíli had knocked for the fourth time.

Kíli grumbled into his imaginary beard and looked up at her through his lashes. " We will go and look for him now!"

" Oh well why not..."

And so they walked back to the main hall, where a few people were either passing through or simply talking to others.

Kíli approached someone Tauriel did not know. " Have you seen Fíli somewhere?" He asked.

" No, not since yesterday evening!" The other dwarf answered. " Why are you looking for him?"  
Kíli pointed at Tauriel and grinned. " We are doing a shooting competition."

" You against the lass? I wouldn't wanna miss that..." He said grinning.

" Alright, you may watch if you wish to..." Tauriel looked at him in amusement.

Kíli hurried over to someone else crossing the hall. " Have you seen Fíli?"

" Not in the last two hours... What do you want from him?" The person asked, as Tauriel stepped next to Kíli.

" We would like him to help us with a shooting contest." He answered.

" Shooting contest? You are trying to win against _her_?" The other dwarf laughed, " No chance, lad, not even the slightest!"

" Well, thank you very much..." Kíli chuckled.

" I have to witness this... May I?" The other one asked and in return Tauriel pointed at the first dwarf they had asked and who was now also coming along.

Sighing, Kíli looked at Tauriel who simply smiled at him. Then they made their way over to one corner of the hall where a group of five dwarfs was standing.

" Excuse me," Kíli started more polite this time, " Has anyone happened to see Fíli today?"  
They all shook their heads, looking at the armed couple with interest.

" Why is it that you are searching for him?" One of them asked

Kíli honestly did not even want to answer, nor did Tauriel, but the two dwarfs who were eager to see their competition quickly launched into an explanation.

" They are going to shoot and see who of them is the better one!" One said.  
" Yes, and they want Fíli as their judge!" The other one added.

" Mahal, don't you two have other things to do?" One of the five laughed at Kíli, " You will beat her, Kíli, I am sure of that!"

" He does not stand a chance!" Another one said, " Haven't you seen her throw the knife last night?"

" We are not missing this contest!" They decided and once everyone of the five agreed, they followed as Kíli and Tauriel went on to search for Fíli.

The more people Kíli asked about it though, the more people wanted to see the two of them shooting. Still no one had a clue about where Fíli could be.

" I hope they will loose interest in us soon..." Whispered Kíli to Tauriel. The chatting crowd of dwarfs behind them would not hear a word they said anyway.

" I am most certain that this will not be the case..." She sighed, " Why is this so interesting for them anyway?"

" Because they all would have to work, and we are a decent distraction, that is once explanation. The other one is that they simply want to see me getting beaten by you or the other way round."

" They better not cross paths with Thorin then..." Tauriel responded smiling and they walked into the directions of their rooms once more, as most other hallways had turned out to only get them a larger audience.

Kíli knocked at Bilbo's door and indeed the hobbit answered. Once he saw the large group, he raised his eyebrows. " Did something happen? Why are you carrying bows?"

" Actually we were just looking for Fíli!" Tauriel answered smiling. " We would like him to help us with something... The others are simply going to watch." Then she lowered her voice and came closer to Bilbo. " We cannot get rid of them since they know about our competition..."

Bilbo frowned. " You are doing a shooting competition? Thorin definitely would not like this..."

" But you are not going to tell him, are you?" Kíli pleaded, " You can come and watch too, once we find Fíli!"

Bilbo looked down the crowded hallway, then at Thorin's door. " I would have nothing else to do anyway..." He finally said. " Even though I am most certain about who will win."

" Are you?" Tauriel asked smiling, but did not expect any further explanations.

Instead Kíli spoke to Bilbo once more. " Now, do you know where Fíli might be?"

" The last time I saw him, he was with Thorin. They had something utterly important to deal with, otherwise I would have gone with them."

Tauriel sighed. " If he is busy indeed, then we have no chance of making him our judge for this."

But if it was on call, Fíli suddenly made his way through the crowd to the three of them in Bilbo's door frame. " What is all this about?" He seemed just as confused as amused and once he spotted his brother he grinned.

" I should have known that this way something you have to do with..." He laughed. " What is it this time, Kee?"

" We need you to help us with something..." Kíli answered, " To be exact, we would like you to be the referee in our shooting competition."

" And that is why you brought all of these people?" Fíli teased his brother.  
" Once they got to know of our plans, it simply spread everywhere and now they keep following us." Tauriel answered instead, " We actually had not intended for anyone to watch, except for you as our referee."

" But Bilbo just informed us that you were busy, so we might as well take him as a referee." Kíli added and got a frown from Bilbo in return.  
" I would not want to miss this!" Fíli laughed, " My brother getting beaten is always a fun thing to witness."

" So you will do us the favor?" Tauriel asked, while Kíli on the other hand only glared at Fíli.

" Yes, I will." He answered and thus they made their way back to the hall, on their way stealing a bunch of apples from the kitchen. Apples happened to be a great target, as they showed every scratch. They could be placed anywhere and also be thrown, and thus they served perfectly for their purpose.

Once they crossed the main hall, chatter erupted around them, between their crowd and others who happened to be present.

Once they made their way out of the mountain, about as many as one hundred dwarfs, Kíli and Fíli just like Bilbo not included, were following them, excited to witness what appeared to have become a great spectacle.

" Now there is no way out of this..." Kíli looked at Tauriel, who returned his excited, but also worried gaze. " We are competing."

**_To be continued..._**

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**Sorry for the long waiting... I kind of had a writer's block and was really unhappy with everything I wrote! But now I am fine with how this chapter turned out! **

**Please let me know what you think of it, it would really help me!**

**I hope you like it though, if you decide to let me know or not! :) **

**See you with the next one soon(er than this) ;D**


	18. Competition

The large group made its way through the great hall, out of the mountain and headed for the plain are in front of it.

" How exactly are we going to do this?" Kíli asked quietly, " If I am honest I did not expect that we would really have to think this through... I assumed we would simply shoot a little, only for fun... But now this has gotten a serious competition, with an audience, targets, a winner and a looser. Where are we even putting the apples? I did not intend for it to become so serious..."

" Neither did I..." She assured him and smiled, " But it is alright, now it is the way it is. We still can enjoy it!"

" Did you ever have competitions like this in Mirkwood?" Fíli asked her.

" No. Shooting is not considered something one would do for personal entertainment. In fact, personal entertainment does not exist for them."

Kíli grinned at her, shaking his head to himself, but did not say a word.

" What?" Tauriel laughed, confused at his expression.

" You would have won any competition back then and you will win this one now." He was being completely honest.

" Kíli, I do not know if it is like it used to be..." She responded quietly, yet she felt warm on the inside. He really did believe in her, no matter what. This was something she had never experienced and it felt incredibly good, having someone who believed in her.

" How will this go?" Fíli asked suddenly, " What am I supposed to do and where will you place the apples?"

Kíli sighed and frowned, looking around. " I think we might as well stay here; the area is huge! What about if we keep adding difficulty to every shot until one fails to hit?"

" This sounds like a good idea." Tauriel said, " And you Fíli will simply keep an eye on everything and assure that we get accurate results."

" What is going on there in the front?" Someone from the back of the crowd shouted.

Sighing Kíli and Fíli looked at each other.

" You are the referee, you explain the game!" Kíli said quickly, before his brother could even think about something to say.

With a roll of his eyes, Fíli turned to face the crowd. " Alright everyone, stand shoulder to shoulder. That way everyone can see!"

And they obeyed, forming a long line across the otherwise empty area.

" This is what a king must feel like when leading his troops to war... Only that there might be a few more people." Tauriel whispered to Kíli and they both admired the line that had formed in front of them in no time. To both their right and their left, they stood shoulder to shoulder, looking at the four of them expectantly.

" How long do you want the first shot to be?" Fíli asked his brother.

" What about two hundred feet?" Kíli looked at Tauriel for an answer.

" Yes, we could place them on the rock over there..." She answered and pointed to the end of the line.

Fíli nodded at Bilbo who needed a second to understand his task, but then took two apples and hurried over to the rock. While this, Kíli and Tauriel made their way into the opposite direction. Fíli stayed in the middle.

" Do you think this is far enough?" Tauriel asked as Fíli gave them a sign to stop.

" That is why he is referee. If it is far enough indeed does not matter as much as what he says." Kíli winked at her.

Bilbo was back in the middle and now, everyone was looking at the two of them. Over one hundred faces, constantly getting more.

" Ladies first..." Kíli bowed his head to her.

Tauriel took a deep breath, removed the bow from across her shoulders and took one of the arrows. Every conversation had stopped and instead deadly silence surrounded them. She could hear her own breath, feel her heartbeat quicken and her mind preparing for the shot. If she was honest, she had no idea how she should make this shot, with a new bow, a different strength and so many people watching her. Finally she drew the bow, and it turned out to be easy as always. The first, small relieve washed over her, but she stayed focused. The fact that she would hold her position without much effort gave her a sense of security. She took another deep breath and focused on the target. For the matter of a second, nothing else around her existed, only the apple and her. Then she let go. In the matter of seconds the arrow had reached its target and pierced the apple right in the middle.

Bilbo went to check it, but Tauriel could even see it from her position. She turned to Kíli and was greeted with a bright smile which she returned.

" I assume things are back to normal then..." He said and looked at her in admiration.

Her smile turned into a grin as she realized she could simply go back and rely on her years of training and experience. She might have lost her strength, but not her skill.

" I am definitely going to win this..." She said provokingly and winked at him.

" That we will see!" He responded in the same tone.

" She hit right in the middle!" Bilbo shouted from the other end, his voice barely to be heard on their side.

Half of the audience erupted in cheer, while the other half frowned and grumbled. It surprised Tauriel that they cheered for her, as she still was a stranger to most of them, but apparently they had come to accept her and maybe even like her, enough to want her to win.

Now Kíli got ready for his shot and took his time just like she had done. Finally when he released the arrow, Tauriel knew it would hit perfectly before it even did.

" Same result, right through the middle!" Bilbo announced and now the other half of the crowd cheered.

" Good shot..." Tauriel smirked at him.

" Yea, it was one of my better ones..." He returned with the same expression. " Now, what will we do next?"

" What about same distance, moving target, blind shot?"

" Blind and moving?" He asked confused, " Not even you can hit that!"

She smiled at his irritation and saw Fíli out of the corner of her eyes as he hurried over to them. Once he was close enough to hear her, she continued. " What I mean is that we turn around. Then someone throws the apple in the air on the other end, and the moment it leaves their hand we turn around and shoot."

Fíli raised his eyebrows and looked at his brother grinning. " Are you sure you can do that?"

" Of course I can!" Kíli protested, " We will do it this way!"

Fíli smiled at them and made his way back to the middle where he quickly gave instructions to Bilbo, who then went back to the end with two new apples. He nodded to Tauriel on the other end, who nodded back and turned around.

" Kíli, you have to tell me when to turn." She commanded.

" Aye!" He responded and stayed facing Bilbo.

Tauriel closed her eyes for a second only and then waited for her shot.

Bilbo looked at Kíli, then threw the apple high up into the air.

" _Hado_!" Kíli said at the same time and in the matter of a second Tauriel had turned, drawn her bow and released the arrow. The grace she had in doing so fascinated not only Kíli, but the audience as well. Though, she was not entirely sure about this shot and did not know if she had hit the apple, so they waited for Bilbo to comment on it.

" Hit!" He yelled, " Right in the middle again!"

Tauriel laughed and observed the cheering crowd with eyes full of joy and excitement.

" Good shot..." Kíli mirrored her sentence from before.

" It was one of my better ones..." She winked at him and made space so he could get ready for his own shot.

Bilbo looked over at Tauriel who nodded, then he threw the apple.

" _Hado_." She said, and Kíli turned around and shot immediately.

" Another hit..." She added, smiling, once the arrow had found its target.

Bilbo soon after declared the same and looked at Fíli, who nodded and then came over to the two of them once more.

" Now, you two are simply too good!" He said, frowning. " Will you ever miss?"

" Most certainly I will, but Tauriel... Her shots are deadly accurate!" Kíli said and shook his head. " What could we do for round three?"

" You could shoot an apple off each others head!" Fíli suggested.

Tauriel shook her head immediately, and Kíli a second later. For her, the idea of aiming at Kíli was so horrifying that she would not even continue the mere thought of it.

" We could do the same thing once more, only with a greater distance and three apples instead of one!" She suggested instead.

" Now that is simply impossible!" Fíli laughed, " Maybe not for you, but for everyone else!"

" It is not impossible! We could try at least!" Kíli defended her idea.

" If that is what you wish..." Fíli shrugged and returned to the already waiting Bilbo to give him his instructions.

" How far will we go?" Kíli asked Tauriel.

" Four hundred feet?" She seemed to be excited about this challenge.

" Alright!" He smiled even though he knew he would not hit this time. What was a challenge for Tauriel was simply impossible for him, he knew that. But he wanted nothing more than for her to win and show everyone who was there, more than one hundred and fifty now, how good exactly she was.

From the great distance, she could barely see the apples in Bilbo's hand. How was she going to make this shot?! But she had to stay confident and focused. She could do it, Kíli believed in her.

She turned around, her back to the targets. Her heart was beating fast and she heard her blood rushing in her ears. Though, she liked the feeling.

" Be ready..." Kíli said and gave Bilbo a nod. The hobbit threw all three apples high above them.

" _Hado_..." Tauriel turned to her sign and shot at the first apple, then at the second, finally at the third one only a couple feet above the ground. All three fell to the ground, but she could not tell if she had even gotten close. The distance was simply too great to see exactly.

Bilbo looked at the apples on the ground, then at Tauriel far away. Yet he remained silent, which made Fíli walk over to him. The two picked up the apples, staring at them.

" What is happening over there?" Tauriel asked, looking at Kíli then at the audience. They all were trying to see what Bilbo and Fíli were doing.

Finally, someone who stood close to the other end of the audience exclaimed, " By my beard, the lass hit them all!"

Instead of cheer, this time only mumbling and quiet chatter could be heard.

Fíli looked over to them with a smile and nodded.

" I hit them all...?" Tauriel said to herself in surprise, her voice quiet. Even though she had confidence in herself, one needed luck for a shot like this.

" I am truly impressed..." Kíli said smiling, " But not surprised. I knew you could do it!"

She turned to look at him. " Then you knew more than I did!"

Finally someone started clapping their hands and seconds later the whole audience was joining in.

It made Tauriel blush, which Kíli found utterly adorable. She let out a relieved laugh and hugged Kíli for only a short moment; she simply felt the need to share her happiness with him. Smiling he returned her hug, wrapping his arms around her tightly for the short time it lasted. Then they let go of each other and he prepared for his own shot, which he knew he was not going to make. But it was worth a try though!

So he turned his back to Bilbo, drew his bow already and at Tauriel's sign he turned around and fired. He even managed to shoot at all three of them before they landed on the ground.

Bilbo went to check once more and turned to them, motioning them to come over.

They would not be told twice and hurried to meet Bilbo and Fíli in the middle.

" You hit one, scrapped another and completely missed the third one!" Bilbo announced, loud enough for everyone to hear.

" It looks like we have a winner then!" Fíli grinned quietly and walked over to Tauriel. Even though he was shorter, he still moved her to stand right in front of the crowd and then lifted her arm.

" We have a winner of this competition!" He exclaimed and was met by roaring cheer.

Tauriel pulled Kíli next to her and lifted his arm over his head as well. This was not only her applause.

The crowd continued to make every possible noise, making both Tauriel and Kíli laugh in return.

" Congratulations!" Kíli shouted over the noise and winked at Tauriel, " You are officially the best archer under the mountain!"

" And you are just as good!" She shouted back, " I just happened to have more luck today!"

" You are not lucky, you are incredibly skilled! I was lucky, to even hit one apple!" He returned, knowing that it was the truth, if she believed it or not.

Suddenly Thorin emerged from the crowd and came walking towards them. Immediately Fíli dropped Tauriel's arm and she did the same with Kíli's.

" I think we are in trouble..." Bilbo whispered painfully to his friends.

" Whose idea was it to have a shooting competition right in front of the entrance?" Thorin asked once he got close enough. The audience had stilled completely.

Kíli was about to say something, but Tauriel was faster.

" It was me..." She said, " I wanted to try my new bow." Still, she did not give in to Thorin's glare.

" And keep everyone from doing their work?" He asked, neutral in expression.

" We did not intend for anyone besides Fíli and Bilbo to watch. But it would have been very rude to ask them to leave, wouldn't it?" Somehow she knew that Thorin was not mad about it, but then again she had no clue why he wanted to make people believe he was.

" Indeed, that would not have been something one can expect of you..." He looked at her.

" Actually it was not her idea, but mine!" Kíli interrupted with a short but loving look at Tauriel. " She is only taking the blame for it now."

" Which is a very kind gesture, don't you think, Kíli?" Thorin asked his nephew, to everyone's confusion.

Kíli and Tauriel exchanged the same irritated glance as Bilbo and Fíli did.

" Yes of course it is very kind..." Kíli answered finally, still unsure of where this is going.

" Congratulations by the way..." Thorin said to Tauriel with the slightest smile. " I saw your last shot; very impressive!" The he turned to Kíli. " And congratulations to you too! You did very well, better than anyone of us could have."

" Thank you..." Both of them returned at the same time.

" And as for my questioning, I am sorry. There is nothing I could say against a shooting competition. I simply wanted to see if you had not only skill but also courage. And both of you do, obviously!"

" So you are not angry with any of us?" Fíli asked carefully.

" No." Thorin answered simply with a chuckle. " This whole contest was rather entertaining and good to cheer people up and bring them together! If you wish so, you may do this more often, with the whole kingdom as audience and other competitors..."

" Tauriel would win every single time!" Kíli grinned at her and then at his uncle.

" What about if you mentor others? It may make things more interesting!" He suggested.  
" But then Kíli would win every time!" Fíli complained laughing.

Thorin rolled his eyes at his nephews. " Then Tauriel and Kíli should not be in direct competition with others. You can help them though!"

" Would there be anyone willing to participate after all?" Tauriel asked, frowning.

Thorin raised an eyebrow and turned to the crowd. " Would anyone be interested in participating in a competition like this, _without _being direct competitors to neither Kíli nor Tauriel?" He shouted and immediately people started yelling and waving.

" Archery is not very common here, but if you present them a great spectacle, they will change their opinion." He said to Tauriel and then looked at all four of them. " And this is exactly what you did. People made bets about you! But now I have to return to my duties, do not forget about the gathering tonight... It is only three more hours! Bilbo I would like you to com with me if you don't mind, as I think I could need your assistance. Fíli, I would very much welcome if you joined me as well." Bilbo nodded and together the three of them walked back to the mountain, the crowd slowly dissolving and following them.

Tauriel and Kíli simply stood next to each other, smiling. " Can you believe this just happened?"

" Not directly, no..." Tauriel answered with a chuckle.

" Me neither..." He remained silent for a while, then a grin started to form on his lips. " Are you excited for the gathering?"

" I do not even know what exactly you mean by gathering..." She answered as they slowly made their way back to the mountain.

His eyes were glowing with excitement and happiness, as he eventually took her hand and interlaced their fingers. " That, amrâlimê, I will tell you..."

_**To be continued...**_

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**Tauriel is badass... seriously, that girl can fight! !_ Hado_means 'fire' or 'shoot'!**

**Thank you so much for the dear Reviews :3 I really love hearing your opinions!**

**I will see you soon with the next chapter and then we will see what a dwarvish gathering looks like ;)**


	19. Drawing

" Should I wear the white dress?" Tauriel asked while they made their way back to the mountain. The sun stood low above the ground, it was getting colder. Now, with the days getting shorter, the warmth of the sun was fading as well, especially when the evening got close.

" It is only a gathering, there is no need to be formal..." Kíli smiled at her, " A gathering is nothing like a feast."

" I would not have to ask so obtusely if you simply told me what a gathering is." Her voice was calm, yet teasing.

" It is all about company. Usually women do not attend though." Kíli started, but got interrupted again.

" Why?" Tauriel asked with obvious confusion, " And if that is the case, then why am I allowed to attend it?"

Kíli grinned. " Well, it is very difficult to explain why, but I would say it not something women are likely to enjoy, usually. There are exceptions however. My mother literally _always_ attends every festivity, even if it is a gathering. No one would ever say a word about it, she is next to Thorin the highest authority in the kingdom... A princess after all!"

" Does she enjoy it?" The worry in her voice was still not gone. Being accepted as someone other than a dwarf was one thing, being accepted as the only woman was another.

" I assume that she attends because she enjoys it! And to be honest, she might also be keeping an eye on Fíli and me... She is very protective!" He answered, amused.

Tauriel chuckled. Even if she was not to attend, she would hate to not be able to have an eye on Kíli. Maybe he really needed someone to watch over him, and she was glad that she got to be that someone.

" Please, do not worry about it!" He stopped at the entrance to the mountain and looked at her both reassuringly and lovingly, " You will enjoy it, I promise..."

And it really did reassure her. " Alright... I will not worry." She smiled at him and they made their way into the mountain. The hall was still filled with dwarfs and as they made their way through it, some came up to Tauriel to say their congratulations to her victory, while others approached Kíli to either pity him or to joke about him being beaten by a girl.

" I feel the need to apologize for winning..." Tauriel whispered to Kíli as they had managed to cross half of the hall.

" Why would you apologize?" He asked in return, just as quiet.

" Because I get the feeling that by dawn everyone will know that you lost to a girl." She had to suppress a chuckle.

" It is a true honor to loose to you, and they will all know that as well." Kíli winked at her and they walked a little faster through the second half of the hall, so that no more people would step in their way.

Finally they entered their hallway and walked up to the other end where their room was located.

Once Tauriel had opened the door, a welcoming wave of warmth rolled over them.

The fire which was brightly burning in the fireplace not only light the whole room, but also made it cozy and warm.

" Who light the fire?" Tauriel wondered as she stepped into the room and placed her bow and the quiver in the empty wardrobe, together with her cloak.

" I honestly do not know..." Kíli answered and followed her example. A wardrobe was not quite the ordinary place to store one's weapons, but in their case it was good enough.

" Three more hours until the gathering, correct?" Tauriel asked and walked over to sit on the bed, yawning.

" Exactly..." He answered and remained in his spot, observing her with a smile on his lips. " Are you tired?"

" I wonder why! I was not feeling tired when we were outside..."

" It is because of the warmth. We were in the cold for quite some time and now that we are back in the warmth, it is natural to get tired!"

" But I do not want to be tired!" She protested, laughing at herself.

" Neither do I, but it is not for us to decide when we are tired and when we are not! I can tell you though, that it should go away soon."

Tauriel sighed, got rid of her boots and laid down in the middle of the bed, looking up to the ceiling.

Still smiling Kíli followed her once more and laid down next to her, his shoulder touching hers, while his eyes were first fixed on her, but then he also looked up at the ceiling.

" What is written on the walls?" She asked curiously, " I feel like a fool for not being able to read simple engravings."

" Why would you feel like that? It is written in runes, how are you supposed to know what it means..." He turned his head to look her once more. The light of the gems was mixing with the light of the fire and together both created a beautiful play of glow and shadow on her skin. But that was not it, Kíli could have sworn that every single gem was reflecting in her eyes, making them sparkle like the night sky itself.

" I only I could read it..." She sighed and also turned her head to look at him, " Maybe one day I will be able to."

" I will teach you, if that is your wish..." He suggested.  
" Thank you..." She whispered, smiling, and her her eyelids started to get incredibly heavy. " I am infinitely honored and thankful to be yours, Kíli, do you know that?"

" I am infinitely honored and thankful to call you mine indeed..." He answered and her desperate attempt to fight against sleep made him smile.

She shifted so that she was lying on her side, facing him, but eventually she lost the fight and her eyes fell shut.

For a long time, Kíli lay on his side, only an inch away from her, and watched her relaxed features.

She was such a miracle! There were so many layers to her, and he kept exploring more and more. He wanted to know ever single one of them, but at the same time, he wanted to forever keep exploring. What he knew about her, and what she knew about him was probably more than either of them had ever let anyone else know. He wondered about her life in Mirkwood, what it had been like and why she had never mentioned anyone from her past. What about her parents? Did she ever have friends? He hoped so... But if he was honest he doubted that she had ever let anyone close to her, closer than necessary anyway. How could she live without any kind of love in her life for so long? Without family, without anyone telling her how extraordinarily amazing she was? He would have to ask her about it, but at the same time, he did not want to pressure her to tell. If she wanted to talk about it, she would tell him. She will, when she is ready to.

Kíli did not know how long he simply watched her, completely happy and content, but as he felt himself doze off, he knew that he could not fall asleep as well. Because if he did, they would one hundred percent be too late for the gathering, if they ever woke up before dawn.

So even though he would have loved to stay there lying on the bed with her, he knew he had to get up. As careful as possible he got off the bed, trying his best not to disturb her in her sleep, and then looked around the room. There was not much he could do, but he would not by any means leave her. Thus he walked over to the desk and opened the top drawer. It contained paper, but nothing more. The second drawer was empty, like most others he opened. Finally he found ink and a nib, under the paper as he went back to the first drawer. But that was all, his only entertainment would be paper and ink. After all, it was better than nothing. He took it out of the drawer and sat back down on the bed, next to her, with his back resting against the wall.

What should he do now, with ink and paper? He was not much of a poet, neither very romantic in his point of view. If one asked Fíli on the other hand, he would say that Kíli was the most romantic dwarf one could possibly find.

Still, why would he write something if he could simply say it? Maybe he should try to draw something... But he had never been very talented at art. But he wanted to do something, so he simply started sketching. He would have loved to draw Tauriel, but he simply couldn't. Even if he was the most talented artist in middle earth, no drawing would do her justice. So he simply decided to draw a few houses, a few flowers, a tree... And it all turned out to look like a child's work. But it made him smile after all, his lack of talent did not prevent him from enjoying art! He continued to draw a face, which looked almost like an insult for whoever it might have represented.

He was drawing an apple when he saw Tauriel opening her eyes next to him.

" Slept well?" He asked and got a satisfied nod as an answer.

With a smile and a final yawn she moved so that her head was lying in his lap. " What are you doing?"

" Nothing really... I simply doodled a little." He responded and kissed the top of her head.

Interested in his work, Tauriel took one of the papers he was holding and looked at it. " What is this supposed to be?" She pointed at a weirdly shaped something and held the paper at an angle for him to see what she meant.

He chuckled, " That was supposed to be a flower... I am not very skilled at drawing, you can tell."

" I have never tried it, so you are already ahead of me!" She answered smiling. " I have watched people draw though."

" You have never been drawing?" He asked, surprised at her statement.

" No... I was a lowly guard, not a fancy maid who could spend her days drawing or writing nice words onto endlessly long papers."

" You are not lowly, how often do I need to tell you until you will believe it?"

" I said I was... And I simply wanted to express that I had to work hard and had no time for activities such as drawing." She smiled and looked up at him.

" You cannot possibly be any worse at drawing than I am!" He said, grinning.

" I will have to prove it..." She responded with a smirk and sat up, leaning half way against the wall and halfway against Kíli.

He handed her the paper and ink and she stared at the blank sheet. " But what should I draw?"

" Since we are supposed to compare things, what about a flower? You could try a rose maybe..." Kíli suggested.

Tauriel frowned, bit her lip and started drawing. " Close your eyes, I feel observed... I only want you to see the finished piece!" She said to Kíli, who obeyed with a sigh. He would have loved to watch her, she looked beautiful when she tried to concentrate.

A rose it should be then. She tried to recall an exact image of one from her memory and to her surprise she remembered a very nice one. It took her a few minutes, but then most of the previously empty sheet was now filled with lines.

" Shall I add shadow to it?" She asked, unsure of whether it would mess up her drawing or not.

" Go ahead, feel free to add whatever you wish."

And she did, it only took her a little longer. Finally she was quite happy with how it had turned out. She still would not consider herself to be good at drawing, but one could tell that she had meant to draw a rose!

" You may look at it..." She said and laid the paper into his hands.

He opened his eyes and smiled at the drawing. " This looks more like a rose than a rose itself... You are very talented, especially more than I am..." Then he turned to look at her instead, " Is there anything you are not good at?"

" There is quite a lot actually..." She laughed.

" I have not found anything yet..." His eyes wandered back to her drawing. " You should write something on it!" He handed it back to her.

She thought for a second but then grinned and wrote something Kíli could not read in neat letters.

" What does it say?" He asked curiously. " Even your writing looks like it is a drawing on its own!"

She handed him back the paper with a smile. " _Guren min gaim lín a estelion allen._ It is written in Sindarin..."

He took the ink from her as well, but asked before he wrote anything " May I?"

" Of course!"

And so he wrote something Tauriel could not read in return.

" What does it say?"

" The same thing you wrote, only written in runes." He winked at her. " My runes are not as pretty as your letters, but I tried really hard to make it look decent."

" It looks perfect..." She smiled and pressed a kiss on his cheek. Just as she pulled away, he was faster than her, raised his hand to her cheek and pulled her to him, until their lips touched.

He could feel her smile against his lips, but she did not break the kiss. Why had her lips to be so soft? Why did she have to taste like sun and wind and wildness and something utterly her? Why did she have to make him feel like he had no mass, like he was floating in air without ever touching the ground? Why did she have to turn his blood into lava running through in his veins? He would never stop wanting her, loving her with everything he had, nor would he ever be able to.

But neither would Tauriel.

She loved the feel of his stubble against her cheeks, against her lips, even though it was scratchy at times. But still, she loved it. She loved how he hold her close, how when their lips touched his grip on her would tighten and how it made her whole body tingle. There were simply so many things she loved about him, that it would take all ages this world had to offer to list them all. Her love was infinite, and unconditional.

At some point he had wrapped his arms around her, making her face him directly, and then pulled her as close as possible. He had not even done it consciously, his body was simply doing it on its own. In return she had laid her arms on his shoulders, again an unconscious response.

Suddenly their door was thrown open and Fíli already stood in the middle of the room, before he realized that he might have better knocked.

With a surprised squeal Tauriel let go of Kíli and her face turned bright red. Kíli on the other hand was not embarrassed, but rather mad at his brother. " Mahal, you seriously cannot storm into people's room without knocking Fee!" He exclaimed, " This is even worse than last night!"

Fíli stared at them, just as shocked as they were and nodded slowly. He still could not bring out a word.

Kíli jumped up and approached his brother in the middle of the room. " Fíli, it is called kissing, you have seen it before, people do it all the time. There is no reason to stand here like a statue. Why did you even forget to knock?"

" Uh, I was not thinking, I... I was just running from one place to another and wanted to remind you that it is only 20 more minutes... I was simply not thinking, my mind was at a different place." Fíli said apologetically.

" What would you say if we simply walked into your room without knocking?" Kíli was still annoyed, and Tauriel did not say a word. Her face was regaining its normal color, but she still felt slightly embarrassed.

" Anyway, thank you for reminding us." Kíli finally added and gave his brother who was still looking like a guilty child a playful punch into the shoulder. " Only stay away from our room when you are busy in the future, alright?"

Fíli nodded and also looked at Tauriel. " I am really sorry."

Oddly, she had to chuckle at the situation. It was only Fíli after all, it could have been worse.

" Now, we should definitely leave to be on time!" Kíli announced and walked back to the bed where Tauriel got up. He picked up the drawing and smiled at it, before looking back at Tauriel.

" You can keep it of course..." She said, " If you like it so much!"

" Thank you!" He grinned at her and then turned back around to Fíli. " I recently found out that Tauriel can draw!"

" I cannot. He only thinks I can because he thinks I am better at it than he is..." She said diplomatically and they walked out of the room, closing the door behind them.

" Mind to share?" Fíli asked curiously and Kíli held out the drawing to him, which he inspected with a smile. " Yes, you can draw indeed."

Sighing Tauriel watched a grinning Kíli fold the paper and put it into the pocket of his jacket.

" Did you tell her anything about gatherings?" Fíli asked his brother as the three of them made their way through the hallway.

" I had a really hard time, but I did not..." Kíli answered grinning.

" Good!" Fíli said simply.

" Why are you being so secretive about it?" Tauriel asked with a laugh.

" Because it is not something that I would want to describe, it is something that demands to be experienced!" Kíli answered enthusiastically. " And right now, you are about to experience one."

" Will I like it?" She asked, curiously.

" You will love it!"

**_To be continued..._**

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**Sorry for the late update, I am really doing my best!**

**Really hope you like this chapter! I think it's cute :3 let me know what you think, it helps me a lot!**

**Some translations for the People who do not speak Sindarin XD **

**_Guren min gaim lín a estelion allen = _my heart is in your Hand and I trust you (with it)**


	20. Gathering, the first

" You will love it!"

She smiled at the two in her company. She had already loved the feast, so why not a gathering, whatever it be?

" Should we knock?" Kíli asked once they passed Bilbo's room.

" No, he is still with Thorin." Fíli answered smiling.

" Thorin and his hobbit..." Tauriel smirked. " The two of them have a really unique relationship!"

" Yea, Bilbo is probably more important to him than Fíli and I!" Kíli joked, but Tauriel did not think of it as funny.

" That is not true, he loves you very much... All three of you! You are his nephews, even more like sons to him!" She complained.

" We know..." Fíli said with a harsh look at his brother, "Kíli sometimes does not think about what he says."

" Of course I do!"

" No, you do not."

" Please, as we saw you do not always think about what you do either..." She said to Fíli with a warm smile and then looked at Kíli. " And you indeed sometimes do not think about what you say."

" Give me an example..." He responded with raised eyebrows, " When did I ever not think about what I said to you?"

" That comment of yours when I put you in your cell was quite the example..." She tried her best not to blush at the memory, but also had to hide her grin.

" Mahal, what did he say?" Asked Fíli desperately, " Did he embarrass himself?"

Kíli simply grinned and winked at Tauriel, " Actually that was one of the comments I did think about."

Now she simply had to laugh, his expression added to the fact that he really seemed to have made the comment on purpose was too much to hold.

" Kee, what did you say?!" Fíli demanded to know, but Tauriel and Kíli only shot each other a quick glare and burst out in laughter instead of answering.

" Go ahead and tell him!" Tauriel teased, but she secretly hoped he would not.

" Trust me, brother, you would never look at me the same way again. And you have heard me say a lot of things..."

" I do not even want to know, now, if I am honest." Fíli looked everywhere but at his brother. He knew him well enough to have an idea about what he might have said.

" On the other hand we had a rather interesting conversation!" Tauriel added to help Fíli out of his misery by changing the topic.

" Yes indeed!" Kíli laughed, " I could recall every word of it..."

" You could?" Fíli asked with a raised eyebrow, " You cannot even remember our mother's birthday!" That earned him a rather painful nudge into the ribs.

" Of course I can!" Kíli complained.

" Oh, when is it then?"

Kíli thought for a second before answering, " In four days?"

Fíli frowned, " I think so at least..."

" Oh, so you do not even remember it but then blame me?" Kíli said teasingly and a satisfied grin formed on his lips.

" I am most certain it is in four days! We will ask someone, to be sure. In case we are right, we need to send note!" Fíli defended himself.

The three of them walked through the hall that was still filled with people. Once they were seen, everyone stepped out of their way, but conversations were continued.

Tauriel frowned, " Why are they stepping out of our way?"

" Because they assume we are doing something really important when they spot Fíli and me together... Most of the people here only know that we are the king's nephews and so they pay us way too much attention!" Kíli whispered to her with a chuckle.

It took them no time to cross the hall.

" Where are we even heading?" Kíli asked suddenly and looked at his brother in amusement.

Fíli sighed and lead the way. They came to a hallway that to Tauriel looked just like every other she had seen.

" How do you even find your way around here?" She asked wondering, trying to picture a map of where she had been already in her head.

" How do you find your way around forests?" Kíli asked in return, with a grin. " It is all a matter of habit. You will learn, eventually."

They reached the end of the hallway, finding that it lead directly into a great, open room without even a door.

" Here we are..." Fíli said and stepped into the open space.

The room was more like a smaller hall, with other rooms attached to it at the end. In the middle stood a wide, round table with many chairs. Besides them, the room was empty. But not for long, as once Tauriel had taken a quick look around, Bilbo came into the room from one of the rooms on the other end. He was packed with a huge pile of foods which he dropped onto the table.

" Today we are emptying your pantry, as a change..." The hobbit smiled at them. Kíli and Fíli chuckled, and Tauriel knew that it must have something to do with their journey.

" Come on now and help me, Thorin has everyone running around with different tasks!" Bilbo added and motioned them to follow him to the connecting rooms.

Quickly they moved through the room, around the table and followed after Bilbo.

After crossing another few rooms which he lead them through, they got to a whole corridor only connected to rooms filled up with foods.

Bilbo looked down the corridor, then back at his friends. With a small nod he disappeared into one of the connecting rooms.

Fíli went to enter the next one, nearly bumping into Bombur who was just as packed with foods as Bilbo had been.

He looked at them, but then walked on back to the great room with the table.

" We will get the ale!" Kíli announced with a smile and pulled Tauriel into one of the rooms further away from them.

Many huge barrels were stacked on top of each other, all looking not too old but very heavy.

" And you think we can carry those?" Tauriel asked with a frown.

Kíli only laughed and walked over to a single one standing on the ground and lifted it up, only for a few seconds. " I cannot carry it alone for very long, but with two it should be fine!"

Tauriel raised her eyebrows and looked at the barrel critically. But then she sighed and wrapped her fingers around the edge at the downside.

Smiling at her Kíli took the upper edge. " Ready?"

She nodded and they lifted the barrel into a horizontal position. To make it easier for her, Kíli walked backwards through the door.

Tauriel had to admit, it was extremely heavy. Her hands hurt, burning like fire and she felt like the barrel could fall every moment. Even her arms began to shake.

They passed Fíli who was just coming out of his room with a stack of plates, bowls and other dishes. He raised an eyebrow at the two of them, his eyes staying with Tauriel in wonder. She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to go on, but it was simply too heavy.

" Kíli, I...I can't..." She got out, feeling guilty at the same time. Now at least she knew about the limits of her strength.

" It's okay, amrâlimê..." He smiled back at her and set down the barrel at his end, then moving to take hers out of her hands.

" We could switch!" Fíli suggested to that, looking at Tauriel.

Relieved, she nodded and took the stack of dished from him. It was not even half as heavy as the barrel, therefore more difficult to carry. But after all, balance had remained with her to a greater extend than strength.

Fíli picked up the other end of the barrel with ease and the two of them made their way back to the main room, Tauriel following.

When they got there, more people were present and the table was nearly completely filled with foods.

" How did all of this get here?" Tauriel wondered to herself as she peaked above the dishes which were piled up nearly to her eye level.

" There are quite a few places where we store food... Not only the one you just saw." Thorin said right behind her, which made her jump. The sudden movement made the pile in her arms shake dangerously, but only the bowl lying on top dropped. Instinctively she caught it with her foot, while still trying to regain full balance of the pile in her arms.

Now, standing on one leg only with two different things to concentrate, she definitely needed help or she would drop something.

" Could anyone..." She started, but Bilbo was already in front of her and took the bowl she had caught plus the top half of the pile from her.

" Thank you very much..." She sighed as she went to placed the rest on the table.

" You are very welcome..." He responded, then smiled at a memory. " You should have seen what they did with my dishes..."

" None of it broke after all!" Kíli complained from a few feet away while setting down the barrel.

" That does not help the fact that you threw it around!" Bilbo returned, making Kíli grin.

" I am sorry I made you jump..." Thorin said to Tauriel.

" There is no need to apologize..." She answered with a slight smile.

Thorin bowed his head and then turned his attention to someone who was waiting to talk to him.

Tauriel for her part walked over to Kíli who was leaning on the wall. " So who is invited?"

" From what I can tell it is only the company..." He answered with a look around. dwarves were still hurrying from one room to another as if chaos had erupted.

" What are we supposed to do now?" She asked quietly, feeling useless standing still while everybody else was moving around.

" We open the barrel and set the table!" Kíli said enthusiastically.

Without further wait, Tauriel moved back to the table and tried to shove the food further into the middle to make space for plates. Overall, it only took a few minutes. Finally she took all tankards she could carry over to the barrel.

Fíli had come back and was helping Kíli to prepare the barrel for use. Once it was open and ready, they quickly filled one mug after another and passed them on to Tauriel to make space for new ones. She handed them to the people standing closest to her, if they wanted or not. But they seemed rather pleased with it. As soon everyone was served and they started sitting down, excited for the huge pile of food that had been collected.

Kíli pulled her with him to sit next to Fíli, who was sitting next to Thorin, who again was sitting next to Bilbo. He really never left his hobbit far out of sight if not necessary, Kíli chuckled at the confirmation of what everyone knew anyway.

Tauriel looked at the food, then at Bilbo who was comfortably in her sight and rose her eyebrows in question. Bilbo returned her wary look and shrugged with a quick glance at Thorin.

She had nearly forgotten that she was not the only one who was not entirely used to these kinds of events. The fact was very reassuring.

After everyone was seated, Thorin got up. " Only two things, as long as y'all are still in our minds enough to understand. The day after tomorrow, the princess will start for Erebor with the women and children. I would like a few of you to meet them halfway and assure that they will get here safely." He looked around the room, waiting for any respond.

Tauriel looked at Kíli, " Your mother?" She whispered in question.

" Yes..." He answered in the same manner.

Thorin's eyes stayed with Kíli right in that moment. " I would very much appreciate if the two of you would do my this favor." Then he looked back at the rest. " But I do not wish for them to go alone."

Kíli looked utterly displeased with the idea of exposing Tauriel to the possibility of danger. Of course he knew that it was an irrational fear, but still, his heart would not quite understand it the way his mind did.

Fíli noticed his brother's inner conflict and leaned closed to him. " She is a warrior, you know that. You cannot keep her in a cage, Kee..."

" It is not a cage!" He responded quietly, " I only wish to keep her safe, especially now that she is almost human for only such a short period of time."

" Only because you do not mean for it to be a cage does not mean that it is not just that." Fíli said reassuringly, " You will not be alone, and you will watch out for her. Don't forget, she is still very much capable of saving both of you, if mortal or not. And the proof for that you got today. Kíli, she basically did the impossible! You will be fine..."

Kíli nodded quietly and found himself agreeing with his brother. He looked at Tauriel who had to his luck not paid attention to Fíli and his debate. " Should we go?"

" It would be my honor to escort your mother and the women of Erebor back to their home." She smiled at him, not the slightest worry in her voice.

" Thank you!" Thorin said and looked back at his men with slight annoyance and raised eyebrows.

" I will go!" Bilbo said confidently.

" And I will, too." Fíli added.

" I need you two here with me, we have business to attend to." Thorin responded simply. " Balin will stay here as well, I need you as well."

" I can join you!" Ori said, not completely happy with it, but halfway enthusiastically.

" I will be there too..." Dwalin grumbled. " Someone gotta watch the kids."

Kíli was about to protest, but Tauriel nudged him with her elbow and thus he remained silent.

" I cannot let my cousin go alone... And I want to welcome my wife and son!" Glóin added.

More or less satisfied, Thorin nodded, " Thank you, you shall leave at dawn the day after tomorrow. The rest I expect to help with the reparations until these five will return." A grumble went through the small crowd, but no one complained.

" The second thing I would like you to know is that we will reestablish the trading arrangements with the people of former lake town, now the people of Dale. If they are still in trade with the woodland realm is to argue about. We might have representatives of both parties come for negotiations sometime between the end of this week and the next."

Chatter broke out among everyone.

" A trade alliance with Thranduil is not to suggest..." Tauriel said quietly, only to Kíli and Fíli, " I know his way of trading, it does never end as one desires."

" We will have to see, I strongly doubt that uncle will agree to anything that involves elves. He might have grown fond of having you around, but certainly he will not have anyone else interfere in his affairs." Fíli answered.

Thorin looked at the three of them. " No indeed, I will not agree to trade with Thranduil. But that is not the matter of concern right now. If you wish, you can attend the negotiations, Tauriel. Fíli and Kíli will be expected to attend anyway."

Kíli only groaned quietly in return and rolled his eyes. Thorin chose to ignore him and turned back to everyone. " Now, that was all the formalities!"

" I was starving!" Bombur exclaimed the second Thorin finished and suddenly everyone started reaching for food. The noise in the room rose in a instant and the mood changed from rather formal back to chaotic and joyful again.

" This is worse than the feast, you have to be quick!" Kíli informed her while already packing his own plate with food.

Tauriel simply went along with it and followed everyone's example. People got up to refill their mugs and all of sudden she found herself being handed one as well. She remembered Fíli and Kíli warning her not to drink it, but she could not quite believe that it would be that bad if she did. Except for that she was curious how it would taste. The first sip was good after all!

" You might want to eat first... Trust me, it is for the better." Fíli said to her quietly.

She smiled and nodded, turning her attention to her food and to Kíli, who was trying to explain what exactly she was eating. After a while she had finished most of it, when suddenly something hit her head. Surprised she looked up, finding that everyone was staring at her in embarrassment. " I-I... meant to hit Kíli, I promise..." Someone muttered, but she could not tell who.

Kíli stared at her. " They hit you with a piece of potato?!" He looked amused and deadly serious at the same time.

She nodded and started to chuckle, " But obviously they had planed to hit you for whatever reason."

Kíli's eyes narrowed and he looked around in utter silence.

" Oh no..." Bilbo said quietly as he realized what was about to happen.

" Mahal not again..." Thorin added with a sigh and turned to to Bilbo, " They do this every single time."

Kíli grabbed a spare piece of food. " This is calling for revenge..."

**_To be continued..._**

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**Yeah we made it to chapter 20! And as you see there is more to come, so stick around ;)**

**Hope you liked this chapter! Thank you very much for the positive feedback, it helps me so much!**

**See y'all soon!**


	21. Gathering, the second

Kíli grabbed a spare piece of food. " This is calling for revenge..."

The moment he threw it at the people sitting in front of him on the other side of the table, utter chaos erupted. Mostly everyone was done with their food and thus, everything that was still lying on the table was from now on suitable to be used to attack.

Both Kíli and Fíli next to her were already engaged in attack and defense, and as she looked around she found that everyone had joined in except for Bilbo and Thorin.

The moment they caught her looking at them, Bilbo quietly pointed under the table and then disappeared to exactly there. Thorin leaned back in his chair, crossed his arms in front of his chest and sighed. When she looked at him in question, he simply shrugged.

There were two possibilities now: either she could hide under the table until it was all over like Bilbo, or get engaged in the fight like everyone else.

The decision was taken from her when she saw a piece of bread clashing against Kíli's head. Instinctively she grabbed the closest object which happened to be the very same piece of potato and threw it in Bombur's direction, who happened to be attacking Kíli in that moment. She was not one to hide anyway.

A piece of fish hit her shoulder, leaving an oily mark on her new clothing. But who cared about clothing; this was war! A second later someone hit her right in the middle of her chest with something she did not even recognize, but it left another mark. Something else hit her, an apple, right on her cheek bone. She let out a quiet hiss, it really stung. But she would not yet give up.

The other side started an attack, and she found herself pairing up with Kíli and Fíli. Unfortunately they were in the minority, as Bilbo and Thorin did not do much for support.

Tauriel became the the major target, being hit by almost every food on the table.

Kíli on the other hand tried to defend her the best he could. Even though they only so few people, the shouting and laughing was almost louder than thunder.

Something knocked her ale over, causing it to shower both Tauriel and Kíli right next to her.

Narrowing her eyes, Tauriel grabbed an apple and hit a mug on the other side, covering half of their opponents in ale. Kíli turned to look at her with a smirk and admiration. It was only once second he did not pay attention, but already a piece of something that had become unidentifiable hit him in the head. With an angry glare he turned around again and grabbed an apple to follow Tauriel's example.

Tauriel felt something tapping her knee under the table and she looked down, finding Bilbo looking at her. " Is it over yet?"

" No..." She laughed and an idea shot through her head. " Bilbo, could you try to scare the other side only for a short moment? Since you are the burglar, I assume you can move quietly!"

" Uh, yes, well I could sure do that..." He answered, somewhat unsure about the idea.

" Please, Bilbo, we are in the minority and I would feel bad if Kíli lost twice in one day!" She asked with a smile.

" Fine, I will do it... Only wait a moment..." He disappeared further under the table and Tauriel sat straight up once more, blocking something that was flying her way.

She leaned closer to Kíli and whispered something to him, then did the same with Fíli. Both nodded, much to the confusion but not distraction of the other side.

The game of attack and defense continued until Bilbo got to stand behind the other side, without being noticed. The only ones who could see him were the ones who were part of the plan anyway. He nodded at Tauriel, who in return shot Kíli and Fíli a short look. All three of them stopped throwing. Confused the other side continued the attack for a short time only, but then stopped. " Are you giving up yet?"

" No." Kíli smirked and that moment made an incredibly loud and uncomfortable noise behind them. The short second of distraction and shock was wisely used by the three of them and they started their counter attack, completely overpowering their enemies.

Still confused, all of them raised up their hands and yelled that they'd give up.

Satisfied, Tauriel, Kíli and Fíli sat back down in their chairs and laughed. Bilbo came back to his place next to Thorin and sat down.

" That was amazing, thank you!" Tauriel grinned at him.

" I could not let my friends down after all..." Bilbo responded sheepishly.

" Hey, are we not your friends?" Ori complained.

" Oh yes indeed you are, you were simply not quick enough to ask me for help!" Bilbo responded calmly and with a smile.

" By my beard, who even had this idea?" Glóin asked roughly.

" Me..." Tauriel smirked at them, " I am sorry, but this is how battles are won..."

" We shouldn't let the lass enter any battle unless it's for our side..." He laughed in return.

" We should not engage in any battle..." Thorin commented, making everyone fall silent, but then his voice got friendlier, " But indeed having Tauriel around is clearly at our advantage."

Kíli grinned at Tauriel once he processed his uncle's words. She returned the gaze with a smile and a wink. " You look like you have bathed in food."

" So do you my dear..." He answered, laughing, and picked a piece of food out of her hair.

" You look worse than I do!" Fíli commented once he looked around at his brother and Tauriel. " Actually it is up to Kíli to be the one who's hit worst. Now it appears to me that you might actually might be the new favorite target."

" She's Kíli's lass, of course she is the new favorite target!" Said Dwalin as if it was the most obvious thing ever.

" How dare you, hitting on a girl!" Kíli complained to his friends, making Tauriel chuckle. Even though Kíli was the youngest, he still had manners.

" By my beard, Kíli, she's not that type of girl, now stop acting like one yourself!"

Obviously Tauriel knew what they meant, and even though she took it as a compliment for being tough, it still hurt her for some reason. Was this really how people saw her? Not that being seen as a warrior was bad, in fact she preferred it to anything else, but somehow it still bothered her. She chose to ignore it for now.

Instead she watched Fíli fetch most of the now empty mugs and carrying them over to the barrel. She took the remaining ones and brought them over as well, all the while she could feel Kíli's eyes following her as conversations continued.

Fíli handed her filled mugs which she then carried to the table and passed on to the already waiting dwarfs.

Once she sat back down again, Fíli placed her filled mug in front of her before sitting down himself.

She had not gotten to drink much of the previous one and by now her clothing was soaked in ale anyway. But now she had eaten after all and so she took a sip of the rather cold liquid. It had a different taste to it than the one she had tried before, yet she liked it somehow.

Looking around, she realized that most mugs were empty again, standing on the table again. Out of the corner of her eye she observed Kíli and had to smirk as she found him doing the same.

" Are you sure about drinking this?" He asked quietly.

" I like it at least!" She answered and confidently continued to sip her drink.

" If you say so..." There was a certain worried undertone to his voice, but she really did not know why he would worry about this. She was on her first mug after all, while the others were already entering round three. Still she did not want to worry him and thus reached for his hand under the table, giving it a gentle squeeze before interlacing their fingers.

" Mahal, the food fights will have to stop once the women are back..." Fíli sighed.

" I'm happy for 'em to come back, ya know, but then the quiet will be gone..." Glóin sighed. " My little lad is better than quiet though..."

" Are there many children coming here?" Tauriel asked Kíli quietly. She did not want to embarrass herself by not knowing anything about the rest of their kin.

" Quite a few I'd say..." He looked at Fíli in question, " What do you think?"  
Fíli nodded, " I think it will make quite the difference to have the women and children back here..."

" At least I will not be the only woman anymore..." Tauriel chuckled, " Even though I have been in good company ever since."

" Why thank you, I am happy to hear that!" Fíli smirked and earned himself a nudge of Kíli's elbow.

" Your mother, what is she like?" She asked curiously.

" The princess?" Balin asked from the other side of the table.

" She's one kind of a lass, that be sure..." Bofur chuckled, causing Thorin to glare at him.

" Mahal, she'd love you if only you were a dwarf..." Glóin said.

Tauriel looked at them with interest but also with amusement. " If I was a dwarf?"

" She doesn't think too good about any other race... Like our dour king here, they're siblings after all."

" I am sitting right in front of you." Thorin said calmly, but with a hint of dangerous humor.

" She will still love you!" Kíli assured her, coming back to the topic.

" Why would she?" Tauriel wondered and tried to be rational, " After all, I still do look like an elf, which makes it quite obvious that I am not a dwarf, then I am certainly not a lady and most likely not what she had in mind for her son at all."

" First of all you do not need to be a dwarf to be absolutely awesome and lovable. Then, why do you think you are not a lady?"

" Being a lady does not mean running around in dresses and act like a chicken..." Fíli commented, causing his friends to laugh.

" Well, I am most certainly not a chicken." Tauriel smiled. " But what difference does it make, she will not like me for so many reasons, I could not even name you all."

" And even if, why would it bother you?" Thorin asked, much to her surprise. " I did not like you, and as far as I remember the three of you did a perfect job making me change my opinion rather quickly."

" You know Dís... She had no burglar to change her morals beforehand." Balin said.

Thorin looked at Bilbo at his side, who was suddenly very interested in the place in front of him.

" If she says a bad word about you, I swear by my beard we'll make it right. You're quite alright and make that lad next to you happy, she'll see that." Glóin nodded at Tauriel.  
" _Very_ happy..." Kíli repeated quietly and winked at her.

" Thank you all." She said with a smile, happy that they seemed to have grown pretty fond of her.

" If I was you, I'd rather worry about the other maidens..." Ori suddenly remarked, " Kíli, you know how they act around you and Fíli... If they get to know that now one of you is eternally out of the game, there will be some hatred coming her way..."

" They'll be jealous as chickens... Their chances to become a princess just have been reduced to half!"

" Become a princess?" Tauriel asked irritated.

" Where does the lass live?!" Dwalin grumbled.

" If you are to marry a prince, you by definition become a princess, that is the way it is. And lemme tell you, there are quite a few maidens who wish this fate to be theirs." Balin explained patiently.

Tauriel looked at her ale, quietly, and sipped on it. She had honestly never thought about these topics, and still she refused to. This was yet too far out of her mindset.

" However, it means more opportunities for you, brother!" Kíli chuckled. He wanted to change the topic, as he could tell it made her feel uncomfortable.

" Don't be silly, Kee, once mother is back she will start matchmaking again, I do not have the luck to choose."

Thorin listened to their conversation quietly, thinking about his nephews. He knew his sister's matchmaking very well and he also knew how neither Fíli nor Kíli could ever stand it. She would pick the strangest fellas, having his poor nephews put up with their greed for fame and status.

" You may choose whoever you think is suitable to make you happy, Fíli." He finally said, " Your mother's meddling should not be a priority in your choice, and you most certainly do not need to make me happy either."

Bilbo smiled to himself. He was proud of Thorin, he really was a good uncle. He tried, really tried to be there for them. And for some reason this made Bilbo happy. Under all the gloominess and discipline, his friend truly had a loving heart, at least when it came to those close to him.

" Thank you..." Fíli responded respectfully. This was not only his uncle speaking, but also his king.

" Poor mother... She does not even know what is awaiting her." Kíli chuckled.

" Neither does the rest of them!" Bilbo added, smiling and looking around at everyone.

" And neither do we..." Tauriel muttered under her breath and finished her ale. She was definitely not going to drink more of this, it made her gloomy and caused her to feel weird.

" Are you alright?" Kíli asked concerned, giving her hand that he was still holding a short squeeze.

" Yea..." She responded, " This ale only causes me to feel weird."

His eyes displayed pure empathy and comfort, " I am so sorry, amrâlimê... You did not drink much of it though, so you should feel better quickly."

Her lips pulled up in a half smile and she moved closer to him, unnoticed by the rest. His presence was comforting.

" Why did you drink all of it in the first place if it makes you feel bad?" Fíli asked, entering their conversation.

" It tastes good..." She answered, shrugging, " And I did not know that it would do this to me."

" Nah, don't you look so sad laddie!" Dwalin said to her from the opposite side. " These fellas will sing ya a nice melody!" He looked around the small group, everyone cheery at the idea of a song.

Tauriel's face brightened up. Music, she had definitely missed it! Kíli gave her a nudge and a smile which she returned.

Bilbo's eyes light up with an idea as he leaned closer to Thorin, " You should sing the one I last heard at my fireplace! Unfortunately I did not get to enjoy it as much as I would have liked..."

Thorin raised his eyebrows at Bilbo first, then at Balin and finally looking all around the table.

" Oh you will like this..." Kíli said to Tauriel, who all of sudden did not feel as gloomy anymore.

It started a soft humming, getting louder with every second. The deep, and incredibly calming tune had something about it that made her shiver, in a positive sense. The humming went through her body, and she could feel it from her nose to her toes. For minutes she listened to deep voices telling the story of the lonely mountain, and it almost made her sleepy, feeling so peaceful and calm on the inside. This was so different from the songs she had heard before, yet it felt familiar.

The voices faded into humming and finally the humming faded into silence.

" This was beautiful..." She smiled to herself, but a short moment later cringed ever so slightly. The funny feeling in her stomach had turned into a rather annoying pain and from time to time she would feel dizzy for a second or two. Yet, it was nothing she could not handle and thus it stayed unnoticed by her companions at first.

" What are planning to do tomorrow?" Thorin asked his nephews while the group broke up into small arguments between fewer people.

" I will be obediently following your instructions as always..." Fíli answered with a sarcastic undertone to it and grinned at his uncle and Bilbo, " Cannot leave your hobbit to do all the work by himself."

" He is _not_ my hobbit!" Thorin frowned.

" Just let them have it, trust me, just let it go, it's for the better..." Bilbo sighed and Thorin chose to believe him, looking at Kíli expectantly.

Kíli in return looked at Tauriel with raised eyebrows, and only got a shrug as answer.

" I wouldn't dare to interfere I your planning, but you might want to wash your clothes and take a bath... Both of you." Fíli commented chuckling.

" It is not our fault that _someone_ started a food fight!" Kíli said in defense.

" You started it, Kee..."

" No I did not! I only did what I had to do by defending my love! It was not me who hit her with a potato in the first place!"

Fíli snorted, shaking his head in amusement and Tauriel wanted to do the same, but the ache in her stomach turned into a piercing and tearing pain which made it difficult to smile decently. This had never happened to her, but then again she had never really been eating or drinking a lot besides the usual elvish foods.

Kíli pushed a strand of hair that had come loose out of her face, " What is it? Please, Tauriel, you are worrying me..."

" Really Kíli, I can handle it, it's alright!"

" You are pale as snow and your hands are cold... If it was me with that look on my face you would know what I mean. It's not alright, I can tell!"

" Maybe you should bring her back to your room..." Thorin suggested calmly. " We are about done here anyway."

Tauriel frowned in despair, " Please, I am alright really!"

Kíli knew he would not even get her to admit it if she was close to passing out, and even less would he get her to leave if he did not carry her out himself.

" Alright, we came together and so we should leave together..." Fíli said with a glance at Kíli. " I will go back to my room with you."

" This is really not necessa-..." She was cut off by a new wave of pain which made her grid her teeth. Alright, maybe she was not fine. Something was, in fact, seriously wrong with her.

**_To be continued..._**

* * *

**Finally I got to finish this chapter! I was so busy the last days, so this is just a fun chapter :) I promise the next one will be more interesting for you though...**

**Hope you still enjoy it, let me know about any thoughts! :D**


	22. Blur

In an instant Kíli was on his feet at her side. " Tauriel..." She could hear the pain in his voice.

" I am so sorry..." She said quietly, with a lot of pressure to it.

" Please, you don't need to be! We had a wonderful evening, now let Kíli take care of you and in the morning you should be alright." Thorin said and the rest of the company nodded in agreement.

As gracefully as possible Tauriel got up from her chair, for once without further protest, and let Kíli walk her a few steps before turning around once more. " Thank you so much for having me attend this gathering, it means a lot to me."

" You may attend whenever you wish." Thorin answered politely.

" Aye, we can always use a good fella for a food fight!" Bombur added with a chuckle.

" Thank you!" She brought up a smile, an honest one, and walked on out of the door with Kíli and Fíli right behind her.

The world around her was spinning, and her insides screamed for release from the pain, but yet her posture did not give away any of it. She knew she didn't have to pretend anymore, but old habits die hard.

Once they were out of sight, she leaned against a wall and closed her eyes, just for a short moment to collect some strength. She felt Kíli's hand on her arm and her eyes opened to look at him directly in front of her.

" Can you walk?" He asked concerned.

" Yes yes, of course..." She rushed her answer, partially because she needed to convince herself and partially because she knew she had to stop herself from saying anything else.

Standing straight once more, the hallway way spinning way too much, and she took Kíli's hand to steady herself.

After taking a few steps, she fell against the wall once more. " Give me a minute, everything is spinning..."

Helplessly Kíli supporter her in standing, and looked at his brother. " I don't know what it is, she practically did not drink anything!"

" It cannot be the ale..." Fíli nodded in agreement, but neither did he know what might be the cause of Tauriel's symptoms.

" I think we can go on..." Tauriel said and leaned on Kíli once her back did not touch the wall anymore. They took a few steps, until she had to stop again and closed her eyes.

" This is infuriating..." She commented weakly, " Ridiculous even..."

Now she was holding onto the wall with one hand and onto Kíli with the other one.

" I cannot see this any longer..." Kíli mumbled to himself and carefully put one arm around her back, the other one under her legs and lifted her up.

" Kíli, really, I can walk!" She protested quietly, every energy out of her voice.

" No, no you cannot." He answered sternly.

" Alright..." She whispered and closed her eyes while leaning her head against his shoulder.

Fíli walked a few steps ahead to assure that no one crossed their way. Questions and rumors were the last thing they needed right now.

For Tauriel, the way back to their rooms was a blur. She was awake, eyes open half of the time and yet she felt like she was floating in air, covered in warmth. On the other hand, there was the pain. Such a strange contrast brought a smile to her lips.  
Kíli looked down at her in desperate worry. " She is smiling, Fee, why is she smiling...?" He turned to look at his brother in front of him with terror in his eyes.

" I wish I knew, brother, I really do..." He answered with a sigh.

They passed Fíli's room, but he made no attempt to enter it. Kíli looked at him in question.

" I am walking you to your room." Fíli then simply stated and they went on.

Opening the door, the room was just like they had left it, warm and comforting.

Carefully Kíli laid her onto the bed and turned around to Fíli, who looked like he wanted to say something, but for some reason did not do so.

" What is it?" Kíli asked expectantly.

" I was only thinking... You know, your clothes are quite the mess and I doubt that you would want to go without tomorrow, so you might want to wash them tonight..." The mere thought made him blush.

" Fíli I have no time to wash clothes, I will not leave her side!" Kíli protested and put off his jacket, before turning back to Tauriel who had sat up with her back against the headboard, eyes closed.

" What exactly is hurting you?" He sat down on the edge next to her and gently ran his hand along her shoulder and down her arm.

" My stomach feels like someone ran a knife through it, likewise does my chest... I feel nauseous and the whole room is spinning." She stated and placed her hand over his which was still resting on her other arm.

Fíli was still standing in the middle of the room, and awkwardly watched them for a while until he dared to speak up. " Can I do anything more?"

Kíli thought for a second, then his face light up a little, " Do you remember this crazy stuff they would give us when we were sick? Maybe they have it somewhere around here..."

" I will see if I can find some of it, it might help after all." With that he quickly left the room and walked down the hallway, wondering where he could find medicine in a place that had been empty for sixty years.

Whilst, Kíli actually considered Fíli's suggestion about washing their clothes now. The next day would be spent with preparations for their mission after all. But then he looked at Tauriel and honestly did not want to make her feel worse than she did anyway.

" How bad is it?" He asked instead.  
" It is alright, thank you for bringing me here though..." She answered not very convincingly, but then thought about it. What she did was more or less lying, and she would never want to lie to Kíli. " Well, maybe it is not alright..." She opened her eyes and looked at him without concealing the pain and weakness she felt. " I am sorry..."

Shocked he looked at her and pulled her close into a tight embrace. " You have absolutely nothing to be sorry for..." He whispered and drew circles on her back.

" I keep telling you I'm fine even though I'm not... I'm not used to have someone to take care of me and who I can trust."

" You did tell me, now... And of course I am taking care of you, I love you! I will always be here for you, always!"

" I love you too Kíli, more than myself and more than anything else..." A new wave of pain washed over her and she dug her fingers into his shoulders.

" Shhh, it's alright, it will be better soon..." He whispered comfortingly, even though he felt utterly helpless. He wanted to help her so badly, and yet he couldn't. Her face was glowing, radiating so much heat he could tell she most likely had a fever as well.

" You know Fíli was right about the clothes..." She brought out after a few minutes, her head resting on his shoulder.

" Maybe, it does not matter." He responded calmly.

" Oh yes it does, at least to everyone besides us."

" Then what do you suggest? You are not leaving the bed tonight, and neither am I. I'm staying with you, you cannot argue against that."

Before Tauriel could answer, Fíli came walking though their door, again without knocking. But Kíli could not care less right now. " Did you find it?"

" Not exactly, but I found Gandalf!"

" How far did you walk? Wait, did you run?! How could you be so fast?" Kíli asked all at once.

" I only met him in the great hall, he was looking for Thorin and I was looking for anyone who would help! I told him what I knew about your symptoms and so he gave me this..." He pulled out a tiny phial with a dark liquid. " He said it would help with food poisoning."

" Food poisoning?" Kíli and Tauriel asked at the same time, confusion written onto their faces.

" That is what he said, I doubt that Gandalf would make a simple guess in a situation like this." Fíli handed the tiny glass bottle over to his brother.

" Thank you so much..." Tauriel said and leaned back against the headboard again.

" Now, what can I do?" He asked, pacing from one end of the bed to the other.

" You have helped so much, I think you deserve your rest... We cannot ask you for anything else." Kíli said with a slight smile and handed the phial to Tauriel.

" I really hope you will be alright in the morning!" Fíli said and smiled sympathetically at Tauriel who pulled her face in disgust at the taste of the almost black liquid. Still she drank all of it and leaned her head back.

Kíli stood up and walked over to Fíli to wrap him into a warm hug. " Thank you, really." He said quietly.

" Gotta keep my future sister-in-law alive, right?" He winked at his brother and walked out of the room with one last wave at Tauriel, which she tiredly returned.

Sighing Kíli walked back over to Tauriel and looked down at her with a frown. " Do you feel better yet?"

" Only insanely tired all of sudden..." She yawned and forced her eyes to stay open. " I do not want to sleep in clothes covered in ale..."

" B-But you don't have anything else to wear right now..." Kíli responded helplessly.

Her eyes fell shut, but she opened them with the last bit of energy that was left. " I only want to sleep already...And it's not the only thing."

Before he could protest she was getting rid of her clothes, and instead put on the green dress that she had tossed under the bed before wearing the new clothes this morning.

She started to free her hair from the braid, but stopped and lowered her arms again.

" I'm floating in warmth..." She smiled at Kíli and closed her eyes.

Carefully he made pulled back the covers she was still sitting on and then made her lay down. After putting off the shirt which was covered in food and ale, he placed both their clothes on the table and got into bed next to her.

He could tell she was asleep already, and thus he tried to be as quiet as possible in pulling the covers over them and wrapping his arms around her.

Nuzzling her neck, he had to smile slightly. He would be careful what Gandalf offered him to drink in the future.

Hopefully she would be better in the morning. Food poisoning... How could that even happen, they had eaten exactly the same thing! But now, she was sleeping, without pain. The thought made him relax and he drifted off to sleep himself.

What woke him up in the middle of the night was coldness, and a slightly shivering Tauriel next to him. Careful not to wake her up, he got out of bed and realized the cause of the chilly air. The fire had burnt down, but there was still a little red glow somewhere deep in the ashes. Sighing Kíli put more wood from the side into the small space and tried to get it to catch the fire. It took a few minutes, but finally the fire was burning again, and would do so for the rest of the night.

Yawning he got back into bed and reclaimed the spot he had previously held, drifting off once more.

The next time he woke up was hours later, caused by a faint knock on the door. Actually he had never been someone who woke up at the tiniest noise, but now that his worry about Tauriel still had not ceased, he was always alert.

Groaning quietly he got up and opened the door, finding not ask expected Fíli in front of it but Bilbo.

" Good morning Mr. Boggins..." Kíli grinned, his voice low.

" You do know that that is not my name, right?" He asked with raised eyebrows.

Kíli put on an overly dramatic, surprised face, " How should I have known! My excuses Mr. Boggins..."

" Yea, ehm, alright... I only came here to see if Tauriel was alright, Fíli told me more about last night and it had me worried."

" When did he tell you that?" Kíli wondered.

" Oh about half an hour ago when Thorin, Fíli and I had a breakfast." Bilbo shrugged.

" Why are you folks only up so early..." Kíli stifled his yawn. " But thank you for checking on her, I will tell her once she wakes up. At the moment I do not know more than you, but it was a quiet night and she did not wake up, which is a good sign."

" I am very glad to hear that..." Bilbo smiled. " I will tell Thorin, and Fíli if you do not mind."

" Of course not, go right ahead... But for my part, I am going back to sleep!"

Bilbo nodded and walked back down the hallway.

Kíli closed the door and went back to bed for another hour of seep.

The third time he woke up then, was simply because he was wide awake. Tauriel on the other hand was still sleeping, which started to worry him.

Her chest was still falling and raising regularly, her breathing calm and rhythmic. She looked so peaceful, and yet it worried him. How long would she sleep?

But on the other hand, as long as she was asleep she was in no pain. And that was all he wanted after all.

His eyes fell onto the pile of clothes on the table and he stopped in track. It was all neatly folded and clean next to each other. Frowning he got up to assure that his eyes had not fooled him, but indeed it was all clean and neat.

This could only mean one thing, someone had been in their room while they were sleeping. Kíli definitely did not like that thought. Quickly he checked the wardrobe, but their bows were still there. Why wouldn't they, on the other hand, but he simply needed to see it himself.

First the fireplace when they had come back from dale and now the clothes...

It was all really nice acts, but Kíli did not like people sneaking up on him while he slept nor entering the room without permission. Especially now that Tauriel was with him.

He needed to speak with Fíli, but then again he did not want to leave Tauriel alone. Sighing he paced around the room, watching her sleep. She really did not look like she would wake up soon... But then again Fíli could be everywhere and it could take forever to find him!

He got out a piece of paper and ink and wrote _I will be back in a second, meleth nín. _

Then he placed the note on his side of the bed, got dressed and quietly closed the door behind himself. If Fíli was not in his room, or Thorin in his, he would head straight back. It was a matter of only a few minutes, and still he felt awful. But he simply needed to know who came sneaking into their room. Everyone was a threat, until proven otherwise.

First he knocked on Thorin's door, without any response. But that he had expected. Next he knocked on Bilbo's door, it was so conveniently on his way. But even his favorite hobbit seemed to be busy.

Finally he ran down to Fíli's room, knocking, waiting, knocking once more, waiting, but eventually no answer.

Groaning he leaned his head against the door as suddenly someone laid a hand on his shoulder from behind him. In an instant he turned around, surprise catching him as he looked into an all too familiar face. " What are you doing here?"

**_To be continued..._**

* * *

**WHY DOESN'T SHE WAKE UP?! **

**Is Gandalf poisoning people now? Most certainly not XD**

**Hope you liked the chapter! **

**(Oh and don't worry, they will leave to find Dís and the others eventually ;D )**


	23. Sleeping beauty

" What are you doing here?" Kíli stared into Gandalf in front of him. The wizard a sympathetic look on his face.

" I wanted to see how Tauriel is feeling, I hope what I gave to Fíli last night worked!" He answered with a slight smile.

" We should head back, as I left she was still sleeping." Kíli stated and motioned Gandalf to follow him back to his room. " But we had a quiet night, the pain seems to be gone for the most part as far as I can tell."

" Good good..." Gandalf murmured as he walked behind Kíli. It only took them a few minutes to get back. Tauriel was still sleeping in the same position in which Kíli had lastly seen her.  
" Why won't she wake up?" He asked slightly desperate as he stepped next to the bed. With a sigh he gently ran is hand up and down her arm and placed a feather light kiss on her forehead.

" Well how many drops of the serum did you give her?" Gandalf asked in return as he sat down on a chair next to the table.

Kíli could feel the blood freeze in his veins and his heart skip a beat. " Drops...?!"

Gandalf's eyes widened slightly and he opened his mouth to say something, but closed it again. Instead his eyes found Kíli's which were now even more filled with panic and fear. " I-I didn't know..." Kíli cried and stepped back from the bed. " What happens now? Is it bad? Please, you need to do something!"

A smile came to the wizards eyes first, then to his lips as well. " The serum does nothing more than take the pain away and let her sleep for a while. The high doze though should leave her out for a while."

" How could I-..." Kíli breathed in agony. He should have known; it was to him to take care of her, to make her better, and instead he had nearly poisoned her all over again. " Oh Gandalf, what can I do?"

" Nothing, my friend, but wait."

" I am a miserable lover, I don't deserve her... She saves my life all the time and I cannot even take care of her when she is sick, what kind of person am I?! I'm such a disappointment, I'm..."  
" Enough!" Gandalf interrupted his ramble and Kíli froze mid-sentence. " You did well in taking care of her, she will know that! I might or might not have mentioned to Fíli how the serum is to use... It is not your fault, she would have done the same."

" How would you know?" Kíli still felt like the stupidest person to ever have walked the earth.

" Because she did, several times. It is not always a matter of knowing what to do. Also a desperate will to do something may eventually lead you to succeed. This is how she saved you after all."

" So she didn't know that she could bring us back when she started out?"

" Like I said, where there is a strong will, there will eventually be a way."

" A strong will she has, that is for sure..." Kíli chuckled, felling better at the previous words.

" So do you..." Gandalf added, " And that is the reason why you may not be separated so easily."

" Nothing will separate me from her. Not my uncle, not my mother, not even death."

" If this is what you truly want, then you might not even be so mistaken in that assumption."

" I have never wanted anything more, and I never will."

Gandalf smiled to himself, motioning Kíli to sit down on the other side of the table. From this spot he could keep an eye on Tauriel and still have a proper conversation without the words having to cross the entire room.

" I assume you would not leave her alone without a good reason, so what was so important that you needed to see your brother so badly?"

" Someone keeps coming into our room, it worries me. First, when we came back from Dale there was a fire burning. I did not put much thought to it at first. But yesterday night I placed our clothes on the table to be washed this morning, as they were covered in...well food, but that's not the matter. This morning they were clean, and neatly piled at the place where I left them before!"

Gandalf raised an eyebrow but waited for Kíli to continue.

" These random acts of kindness are highly irritating! I do not deny that appreciate the gesture, but at the same time I cannot have someone sneaking up on us while we sleep."

" I understand..." He murmured, lost in thought. " Maybe this is really a matter that is better discussed with Fíli and Thorin."

Suddenly a thought occurred to Kíli and he laid his face in his hands. " Mahal, what if he had come back while I was gone?! I am so foolish..."

" You wanted to do the right thing, and you did not think that whoever it is would be a threat to Tauriel, that is completely legitimate."

" Don't try to make it sound any better than it is... I'm an awful protector."

" But the only one she has ever had, and the only one she wants, the only one she needs."

" So you are agreeing then that I am awful at keeping her safe..."

" By no means, my friend, by no means..." Gandalf laughed.

" Why the only one she has ever had?" Kíli wondered suddenly.

" She better tells you that herself..."

" When she ever wakes up..." He sighed sadly.

" Oh she will, simply give her time! You should have a little more confidence in my word."

" I am sorry Gandalf, I trust in your word, I only... You know... I really want her to be alright..."

Smiling kindly, Gandalf suddenly bent down and picked something up from under the table.

" What do you got there?" Kíli asked as he could not see what Gandalf was holding.

" It appears to be yours..." He responded and placed a folded paper on the table.

Kíli's eyes widened and he searched his pockets, finding that they were empty. Thus he picked up the paper, the drawing of a rose, and put it back in its place. " You do not happen to read Sindarin, or runes, for that matter, right?" He asked Gandalf.

" I am fluent in both I may say... But I do not interfere in private matters for the most part." He winked at Kíli. " A remarkable drawing though; Tauriel's?"

Kíli nodded with a smile. " Yeah, she did not even know she could draw until I made her try."

" Fine arts are for the upper classes among the elves..."

" That's what she told me as well... I only imagined the head of the guard to be in the rather upper classes."

" The guard is obliged to protect the kingdom at any times, there is little time left to do other than that."

" Now she will have a lot of time to do as she wishes... Except for when we are sent out by uncle to do as wishes." Kíli chuckled.

" I heard of it, you leave tomorrow at dawn... What do you think when will you be back?"

" That depends entirely on who we are supposed to accompany on their journey here! But I assume that someone will have made a plan about the time..."

Gandalf sighed and rolled his eyes slightly. " Kíli, he wants you to be in command! You are supposed to make the plan!"

Kíli paled. " Me? Why would he do that? I am the reckless child, the irresponsible and foolish nephew!"

" You are not going to war Kíli, you are simply supposed to tell a few people what to do for a day or two. Once you meet your mother and the rest of your kin, they will take over. You needn't worry."

" B-But what if we face any problems?" He asked, frowning.

" You can always ask Tauriel, she should have more experience in command than any of you." Gandalf smiled.

Kíli sighed in relief. " I will let Tauriel do the commanding thing, why did uncle did not put her in command in the first place?"

Gandalf lifted an eyebrow at the question, " Isn't it obvious?"

" Not to me at least..."

" You may know what she is capable of, who she is, and maybe so may the dwarfs who will join you. But once you meet the others, they will not accept to be commanded by an elf."

" She is not an elf..." Kíli grumbled quietly.

" Don't be so stubborn, you know what they will think! I know that she is not, Erebor knows that she is not! They on the other hand know nothing but the rumors."

" Which rumors?" Kíli's eyes shot up to meet Gandalf's.

Gandalf only sighed and shook his head to himself.

" How can we make them see the truth? About Tauriel, and about me?"

Gandalf shrugged, " They are your people!"

" How many are coming, do you know that?"

" I must disappoint you, I do not know. If you would like me to make a guess though, I would say that there will not be many rooms left empty."

" Oh no..." Kíli sighed and closed his eyes for a second, " That only means trouble."

Gandalf looked at him in question, and so he continued.

" Even with the few people who are living here right now, there is bad blood about us... Once they are all back, especially the women, there is no way we can get around direct confrontation."

" That indeed seems to be a probable case... What do you intend to do about it?"

" You are the wise one, why don't you tell me!" Kíli sighed.

Then there was a knock on the door, which made his sigh turn into a groan as he rose from his seat to open up.

" Fíli! What are you doing here, now?"

" I came to see if the two of you are alright..."

" Tauriel is still sleeping... But she seems fine!" Kíli leaned against the door frame, giving Fíli sight into the room.

" Gandalf, what are you doing here?" Fíli asked and stepped past Kíli into the room, sitting down on the now empty chair. Sighing Kíli closed the door again, taking his place on a third chair.

Gandalf quickly told Fíli about the cause of his visit, making him feel just as miserable about the serum as he had done with Kíli.

" Mahal, I am so sorry Kíli..." Fíli groaned, " I should have known."

" Don't blame yourself, I am doing enough of that already." Kíli answered.

" You two shall not blame yourselves at all!" Gandalf interfered.

Kíli looked at his brother in amusement. " Right, maybe we should blame Gandalf for not telling us how to use it in the first place!"

" Yes, that would seem legitimate..." Fíli answered.  
" Now, we needn't go that far..." Gandalf defended himself, " I assumed you knew how to use it, as you are old enough. I must have been mistaken."

" I thought a wizard was never mistaken..?" Fíli teased.

" Will you be quiet now, I forgot it, alright?" Gandalf grumbled, " I had other concerns."

" Which were...?" Kíli kept asking.

" None of your concern after all."

Smiling and with a knowing look to each other, they let Gandalf have his way, like always.

After sitting in silence for a few minutes, there was a faint knock on the door once again. Kíli opened up to find Bilbo standing in front of him.

" Hey, uh, is Fíli here?" He asked smiling apologetically.

" Yes he is indeed, why?" Kíli let Bilbo pass without getting an answer and watched the hobbit occupy his chair, the only one which had been left.

" Good to see you Gandalf!" Bilbo said with a smile.  
" Bilbo Baggins, I will never loose sight of you will I?" He looked at him out of the corner of his eye with a smile.

Kíli stood in the middle of the room, looking at the still sleeping Tauriel, who was now barely to be seen with the covers pulled up to the tip of her nose. At least she would not have to kill him for allowing people to see her in the green dress. In fact, from the table she could not be seen at all now.

Walking over quietly, he listened to his friends' chatter and sat down at the edge of the bed.

" I hope you wake up soon, they are staring another festivity in our room... And I miss you." He whispered and kissed her temple. " Very much indeed."

After a few minutes he strolled back over to the table and looked at Bilbo. " Will you at least tell me what brought you here?"  
" I was looking for Fíli. I lost Thorin somewhere and then spent an hour strolling around by myself. I wanted some company and assumed you were still occupied."

" Occupied?" Kíli frowned in question and chuckled.

" With... taking care of Tauriel for example...?" Fíli answered for Bilbo, " Your brain is getting slow, brother!"

" Or he is simply considering more possibilities than before." Gandalf returned.

" Don't you all have somewhere else to be?" Kíli asked suddenly, a smirk on his lips. He was still standing in the middle of the room, facing his friends.

" No." Fíli simply answered, and Kíli could tell he was doing it on purpose.

" Me neither..." Bilbo added shrugging.

" Gandalf?" Kíli asked.

" Oh well, uhm, there is always time for friends, isn't it?"

Smiling to himself, Kíli shook his head, sat down on the desk nearby and listened as the conversation continued.

" Did you speak of the mission uncle is sending them on any more last night?" Fíli asked Bilbo.

" No not last night, but Thorin told me this morning that the preparations are already going on, it will most likely take a longer than he imagined. Getting such a large group to move from one place to another is not a quick activity! If it is truly as large as he says, it cannot only be the women and children right?" Bilbo asked.  
" No, most of our men are coming as well. The few who fought in our war are unfortunately not the only people we live with."

" It is not a nice thing to speak of your folk in that manner..." Gandalf scolded Fíli.

" But it is true, so why not say things as they are!" Fíli defended himself.

" They are your people!" Gandalf insisted.

" They let us down when we needed them the most! I certainly do not blame all of them, but some could have fought, some could have helped in any way, but instead they chose to stay where they are." Fíli complained.

" You sound like Thorin..." Bilbo said quietly, " Only that your words are directed against your own kin, not another."

Fíli's eyes widened and his mouth fell open at the realization. " Mahal, you are right, I am so sorry..."

" We all know what you are meaning to say and I do not deny that I feel myself agreeing in a way, but you need to keep in mind that other people's motives might not always be obvious to us." Gandalf said and patted Fíli on the shoulder. " Keep in mind that they are all your people, the brave and the weak ones."

" Yes..." He looked down at his hands. " I am sorry for saying such thing."

" You needn't be sorry my friend, careful for that matter fits the occasion a lot better."

Then, a knock on the door, for the third time. Kíli jumped off the table and opened the door without any positive nor negative feeling to it. If some force had decided to start a gathering in his room, he could not do a thing about it.

" Uncle?" Kíli wondered.

" Is Bilbo here?"

Kíli opened the door completely, allowing Thorin access to the room. Without saying another thing he stepped in, and sat down on the chair that had previously been Bilbo's, since the hobbit was now sitting on the desk instead.

" Uncle!" Fíli said surprised. " I thought you were busy!"

" Thorin..." Gandalf nodded his head at him.

" Bilbo, I thought I had lost you somewhere in the depth of the mountain!" Thorin said.

" Well, in fact you did, but I found my way back."

" I searched for you ever since."

Kíli and Fíli exchanged a glare, Bilbo looked apologetically and Gandalf coughed quietly.

" Now you found me obviously..." Bilbo broke the silence.

" I hope _they_ will not find me here..." Thorin sighed and leaned back in his chair.

" Who?" Fíli asked confused.

" Simply everyone! I am king, not everyone's personal problem solver..."

Another knock on the door. Groaning Kíli opened up and found three people he had never even seen standing in front of it.

" What do you wish?" He asked, half sarcastically.

" We are looking for the king, it is an urgent matter, may we come in?" One said while the other two tried to take a peek inside.

" No, I'm sorry you cannot. No one is here, so good luck with your search." He said quickly and closed the door before any of them could respond.

Sighing he walked to the bed, his friends continuing to talk about anything he did not even want to hear. He only wanted his peace, and for Tauriel to wake up.

He sat down on his side of the bed, looking at Tauriel next to him. Maybe the four others had already forgotten that she was even here, they laughed loudly at something and the next moment talked to each other with raised voices.

" I hope you don't hear all of this nonsense... But rather dream, of the stars and the forest and the world in all its beauty..." He spoke to her quietly.

" Yes, we were just about to- Wait, Kíli, what are you doing?" Thorin asked a few moments later.

" I'm talking to Tauriel." He answered simply.

" She is sleeping, she can't hear you." Fíli chuckled slightly.

" But I still like to talk to her!"

" If you say so, brother..." Fíli couldn't hide his smirk.

" I will remind you of all this when you have a sweetheart for once, then you will pay badly..."

" If you say so..."

Kíli let him be and turned his attention back to Tauriel. She was lying on her side, facing him, like she had for hours.

" Please wake up..." He whispered and moved a strand of hair out of her face. " I need you here, you know..."

" You let Kíli command the whole group?!" He heard Fíli exclaim in surprise and amusement.

" What is so funny about it?" He asked his brother in return.

" I am only surprised, that is all..."

" He will do well." Thorin assured.

Kíli turned his head back down to Tauriel and jumped, as a pair of sparkling green eyes stared up at him.

_**To be continued...**_

* * *

**Yeah earlier update :D **

**Hope you like it ;) **

**There's a lot of hints, so just look out for them! Cannot wait for the next chapter, let me know what you think (as always) :3 would make me very very happy (as always)**


	24. the journey ahead

Kíli let out a yelp, " Mahal, you are alive!" A smile spread on his face, " Are you alright?"

Tauriel smiled up at him, not saying a word. She simply enjoyed the view and the feeling of pure energy- and no pain.

" Say something, please, you had me so scared!" Kíli begged.

" I love you." She said, without her expression changing.

Kíli let out a breath he didn't know he was holding and returned her smile. " I love you too, and I am incredibly glad to have you back!"

It took Tauriel a second to notice the other people in the room, but once she did, she sat up.

" What is everyone doing here?" She frowned at Kíli in amusement.

" They decided to have a spontaneous party in our room, I could not stop them..." He answered apologetically.

" Welcome back..." Gandalf greeted her from his seat. Thorin nodded in agreement and even smiled slightly, or at least Tauriel thought so.

" How long was I gone?" She asked, looking at everyone.

" Far too long for Kíli's liking and long enough to have us worried." Fíli answered with a grin, " Good to know you back under the living though."

" It is almost afternoon..." Bilbo added.

Confusion took over her face, but before she could ask any more, Kíli answered her unspoken question. " There was a slight... mistake with the serum you took."

" Serum?" She asked even more confused now. " I do not remember anything... What happened after we left the gathering?"

Now that had Kíli confused as well and he looked at Gandalf for an explanation, Fíli and Tauriel following his gaze.

" It erased the memory of pain, only to protect you." The wizard answered.

" Oh..." She returned, eyebrows raised. " So what happened?"

" What is the last thing you know?" Kíli asked gently.

" We walked away from the table, out into the hallway, with Fíli. But then... everything is black."

" You did not really miss a lot, Kíli carried you to your room and then I went to get any help. I ran into Gandalf and he gave us a serum, which you took and almost immediately fell asleep."

" That is all?" She frowned.

" Entirely." Kíli answered, smiling. " How are you feeling now?"

" Mostly normal and well rested I would say." She looked at Kíli next to her and lowered her voice, " I would very much appreciate if I would be granted the knowledge of where my clothes went..."

Kíli had to stop himself from laughing, yet a slight blush crept up his cheeks. " The food fight, you insisted in changing."

" I did?"

" Yes, you did." He smiled. " And as soon as everyone is gone I will give them back to you."

" Yes, I would rather not leave the bed right now..." Her face turned the same shade of red as his.

Fíli looked at the two of them and then at Thorin and Bilbo with a slight nod towards the door.

" I-I have this thing I have to do..." He said as he got up from his chair, " I will speak to you tonight. Should we dine together?"

" Sounds great!" Tauriel answered for Kíli.

" Alright..." Fíli smiled and stepped out of the room.

" Uh, I have business to attend to as well." Gandalf said, and with a last nod to the two of them he followed Fíli out.

Bilbo jumped off the desk and grabbed Thorin's sleeve, dragging him towards the door as well. " We better see about that thing, you know, what Fíli is doing."

" You do realize that you all simply could have said that you want to give us some space instead of making up a 'thing', don't you?" Kíli chuckled.

" Uh, yea, I guess that would have been the better thing to say..." Bilbo smiled, " I would like to join you for dinner, if that is alright with you."

" Of course, you are always very welcome!" Kíli responded and looked at Thorin with a smirk, " Oh, you may dine with us as well."

Thorin pulled a face at the humor of his nephew, but then nodded at Tauriel and left the room together with Bilbo.

Kíli turned to Tauriel and before he knew what was happening he had her lips on his own. Smirking he kissed her back for a brief or maybe not so brief moment and eventually pulled away.

" We need to get ready for tomorrow..." He sighed.

" I left my armor and daggers somewhere down here... I did not even think of it at all." Tauriel sighed.

" Don't worry about it, they will be in among all other weapons. It should be easy to find it." Kíli reassured her.

" Now, can I get my clothes back?" She smirked at him with raised eyebrows.

He returned her smirk and got off the bed.

It took a her a few minutes to get dressed, but once she was ready Kíli snickered. " You, ehm... You might want to fix your hair."

With a faint blush she brushed through it with her fingers, but it did not make any difference to the tousled mess.

" Here, let me help you..." He smiled and made her sit down on the bed. Within mere seconds her hair war tangle free and neatly falling down her back in the slight curls that she naturally had.

" Preparations..." She reminded Kíli as she found his eyes lingering oh her for just a moment too long.

He smiled, slightly shaking his head. " Thorin should have made you command this whole thing, not me."

" You are in command?" Her eyes light up. " Kíli, that is great!"

" No it's not, I don't even know what I am supposed to do!"

" I am always there to help you, you know that..." Her voice was filled with warmth and tenderness.

" Alright, then I would like you to command."

" If I was meant to do so, Thorin would have made me command indeed."

They left the room, closing the door behind them, but then Kíli stopped.

" Wait here, just a second..." He said and went back in, only to come back with a tiny piece of paper a few seconds later. He carefully placed it between door and frame while closing the door once more.

Tauriel did not comment on it to Kíli's surprise. " Aren't you wondering what I am doing?"

" You are building a trap for the person who keeps coming into our room." She answered shrugging.

" Wha... How do you know about it?" He frowned.

" Well, there was the fire for once. And the furniture was moved as well, only slightly. My dress was at a different place."

" If you knew about it then why didn't you tell me!? I just found out this morning and was insanely worried!"

" I did not want to worry you. And I did not see it as a threat, I simply assumed that you knew about it and simply thought of it as normal! How could I know that it is not normal thing to simply go into other people's rooms. I mean Fíli does it all the time..."

" Yes, and I am mad at him every time he does it!"

" I am sorry I did not tell you, I did not think of it as important..." She felt honestly bad about it, now that she realized that it had not been as obvious to him as it had been to her.

" It's alright, you needn't feel sorry." He took her hand and offered a smile. " Now let's find your daggers!"

It took them about an hour to search through the weaponry of the whole kingdom, without any result. With every passing minute Tauriel got more and more hopeless about it.  
" I doubt that we will still find it. I assume I will go without then..." She sighed and sat down on a trunk.

" I am not letting you go without armor. We will find it, and if it takes all night."

" Kíli, when I got the wound on my side I was wearing my armor and it did not help at all."

" At the time, were you human or still..."

" No, I- I was still..." She looked at the floor and sighed.

" So you haven't gotten into a fight as a human?"

" No."

Kíli sat down next to her on the trunk and covered his face in with his hands. " How could Thorin do this to us..."

" I can fight! I'm not a little girl Kíli, it will be alright!" She complained. " Have some faith in me!"

" I have more faith in you than in myself, and yet I cannot help myself worrying- what if we get into a fight?"

" I have the bow and I'm still pretty decent with it!"

" That was only a competition! It wasn't a fight..." He got up and stood right in front of her.

" Why are you saying that?!" She looked at him in disbelieve. " I know that I am weak, and I know that I do not stand a chance in a real fight, but I am trying to make myself believe it because what else am I supposed to do?!"

He knelt down in front of her, taking her hands in his. " I am sorry, I didn't mean to upset you..."

" You didn't upset me, you simply told me the truth that I was trying to avoid." She avoided his eyes, but still held onto his hands tightly. Kíli's heart got heavy and he felt the strong urge to comfort her. He wrapped his arms tightly around her and buried his head in her neck. " Listen to me, you are not weak and you can win any fight if you want to. I believe in you and I know that you can do this. It will be alright indeed." His voice only a whisper.

" Then why are you worried?" She whispered back, her breath tingling his neck.

" Because I can't loose you... You have no idea how worried, how horrified I was when you wouldn't wake up." He squeezed his eyes shut. " I need you, like I need air and water; without you I wouldn't be anymore."

" You won't loose me _melleth nín_..." She tightened her grip on him. " You will never loose me. Not today, not tomorrow."

" How can you say that, how can you know..."

" I know that I would never leave you alone, that it all it takes me to know that you will never loose me."

They remained simply hugging each other for a few minutes, but then let go.

" Come on, let's see what happened to your combat skills..." Kíli smiled and pulled her up to stand.

" I will not fight you Kíli." She simply stated.

" Why, are you afraid to loose?" He smiled and winked at her. " It is training, not actual fighting."

" Alright..." She sighed and rolled her eyes at him. He could make her do anything, but luckily he did not know it just yet.

They both got ready, standing in front of each other. Kíli made a move and tried to aim for her shoulder, but she moved away just in time and his hand hit emptiness.

" That is it?" She teased. " So much for combat skills..."

Grinning Kíli tired once more, this time aiming for her arm, but again she moved away. " Well, quick you are, I have to admit that."

Tauriel now decided to make a move herself and hit his shoulder before he could pull away. Yet, it did not do anything and he did not even flinch.

Frustrated she tried again, more forceful this time, but still he only looked at her with a hint of amusement in his eyes.

" Stop it!" She winced. " This is not funny!" Trying once more, she hit his chest and he coughed slightly.

In return he tried to grab her arm, but she moved away again, hitting him once more without any success. " Well, I will not win like this, but I won't loose either. You are slow!" She grinned.

" It is because this requires strength more than technique." He smirked back and suddenly reached out again, but only this time he did not aim to hit her but straight forward pull her down to the ground. With a yelp she lost her balance, was dragged down by his weight and finally they both landed on the floor next to each other. Only this time Kíli was quicker and rose to his knees to pin her down. " Now, this is my element. You may be better with the bow, but I am stronger."

She tried to sit up, even only lift her shoulders from the ground, but she simply couldn't.

Kíli chuckled at her attempt to fight him, but kept her down on the floor.

With a frustrated groan she let her head drop to the floor and stopped the struggle. " This is not fair..."

" And why not? I find this rather entertaining."

" Because."

" Because is not an answer!" He laughed, " What is so bad about me being stronger?"

" Nothing, that is the problem!" She sighed.

Kíli frowned, "I... do not quite understand."

" I bothers me that it does not bother me that you are stronger!" She complained, honestly upset. " I should be mad, or try to fight you and get the upper hand, but here I am enjoying being pinned to the ground! What is wrong with me!?"

Her statement made him laugh, which upset her even more. " What is so funny about it?!"

" Nothing is wrong with you, actually you are perfectly fine! It is a completely normal reaction; in a real fight you would fight back without even thinking about it."

" So it's just you?"

He couldn't help but chuckle. " Yes, it's just me." He helped her up. " Come now, we should go to meet the others for dinner."  
Kíli lead her to a kitchen, where they met Fíli, Bilbo and Thorin. For some time they collected all kinds of food and then sat down at a rather small table.

" No ale?" Bilbo wondered, " Not that I would want any, I am only surprised that you don't have any."

" Not when we have to leave early in the morning..." Kíli smiled at him.

" Oh, yea right..."

They ate and chatted until late in the evening, discussing plans for the following days.

Finally Thorin sent Kíli and Tauriel to their room to get some rest before they had to leave at dawn.

They walked back to their room, talking about Tauriel's missing daggers and armor. Once they reached their room, Tauriel stopped Kíli from opening the door just yet.

" The paper..." She reminded him. Carefully they opened the door, and the piece of paper fell down to the ground.

" So no one opened the door while we were gone! That's good..." Kíli said as he followed Tauriel in.

But only a few seconds later both of them stopped frozen in their steps, staring at the small table.

" How is this possible..." Kíli whispered to himself, not trusting his eyes.

Tauriel walked the remaining distance to the table and picked up one of her daggers that was lying on the table, together will her armor and every other knife that she had kept hidden in the clothes she had forgotten in the bathroom.

" This cannot be, no one could possibly know about the paper. It is far too dark to see it falling down if one is not directly searching for it." She looked at Kíli and let her fingers run over her weapons.

" I am glad that you have it back, but this is seriously starting to get worry me."

" Indeed..." She responded, looking at him in concern. " But right now we need to worry about tomorrow. We can deal with this issue once we get back."

Kíli nodded and they both got ready to go to sleep, without any further interruptions for once.

The fire was down to a tiny flame, so Kíli put the remaining wood into it before getting into bed next to her. Wrapped up in each other's embrace they lay in comfortable silence until they drifted off to sleep.

The next morning came far too soon, and they awoke to Thorin knocking on the door, " Hurry up, you have ten minutes!"

Groaning they scrambled out of bed and got dressed. To Tauriel's relief, her armor fit over her new clothing so she did not have to wear the torn apart ones.

" How many knifes do you have?!" Kíli asked with a chuckle as he watched her hide them in different places under her cloak.

" Quite many..." She smiled back.

" Fíli does, too..."

" I know, I had you searched, remember?" She winked at him and placed her bow and quiver over her shoulders, Kíli doing the same.

" If we need to stay out there over night, we rather should take a blanket or so..." She remarked.

" It is all taken care of, this belongs to the things that were taken care of for us already."

" Oh... Then we better head to the hall to meet the others!" She smiled and held out her hand.

Returning the smile, he took her hand. " May the journey begin..."

**_To be continued..._**

* * *

**Sorry it took me so long to update, I promise to not let you wait this long if it's avoidable in any way. Forgive me please :3**

**Sooo, last chapter of preparations and now we are on to some more fun stuff: A JOURNEY!**

**Hope you enjoyed this chapter though, the mysterious happenings will be talked about in the future! **

**Thank you all so much for staying with me on our own personal journey with this Story! **


	25. Into the west

" How long exactly will be be away?" Tauriel asked as they made their way to the great hall.

" It depends entirely on how many people are making their way over here. The more we have to guide here the longer it will take." He answered shrugging.

They soon came to the hall, where everyone was waiting already.

" I trust in you that you will lead our people here safely. They are your responsibility." Thorin said and hugged Kíli for a short moment. To witness this little, rare gesture of affection made Tauriel smile. Kíli then started making his way out of the mountain, followed by Ori, Dwalin, Glóin and Fíli, but before Tauriel could follow Thorin held onto her arm.

" I know you will watch over him..." He said quietly, eyeing the others as their backs disappeared in the dim morning light. " But I would very much appreciate if you helped him watch out for the others as well."

" Of course." She answered just as quiet and in return Thorin handed her an envelope.

" I would like you to give this to my sister. Do not let anyone besides her open it."

Tauriel frowned but took the envelope and hid it under her cloak. " Alright..."

In the distance Kíli turned around and laid his head to the side. " Are you coming?"

" Yes, I am right behind you!" She shouted to him and nodded to Thorin as he let go of her arm.

" Good luck Tauriel, now you have the responsibility for Kíli." Thorin chuckled as she hurried to catch up with Kíli.

" What were you two talking?" Kíli asked her curiously once she was walking next to him.

" He wants me to keep an eye on you..." She winked.

" As if I cannot take care of myself..." He grumbled slightly.

" You can't, that's what you have Tauriel for." Fíli said happily.

" Oh zip it Fee... You can very well go on this mission and let us stay at home!"

" Sorry little brother, but this journey is yours."

In front of the mountain they found four ponies and one horse, all fully loaded with provisions.

They stopped right in front of them and Fíli embraced his brother in a hug. " I wish you all the luck in the world... Come home safely, promise me that!"

" You sound like mother..." Kíli chuckled.

" I'm serious Kíli, be careful."

" I will, I promise..." They let go of each other and Fíli turned to embrace Tauriel.

" Take good care of my little brother..." He said, only for Tauriel to hear.

" I will." She returned and smiled at him encouragingly while getting onto her horse. Kíli on his pony was a lot shorter than her, and as he had it stand next to Tauriel's horse Fíli had to hide his smile. He gave them one last wave and headed back to the mountain.

" So... in which direction do we go?" Kíli asked up to her with an apologetic smile.

Tauriel's sigh turned into a chuckle and instead of answering she headed westwards. She liked her horse, it seemed easy to handle.

Kíli followed closely behind, his pony trying to catch up with Tauriel. " Come on, I have the on with shorter legs!" He shouted to Tauriel in front of him.

Dwalin, Ori and Glóin trotted behind them, not taking much out of the usual banter.

" Do you know the way?" She asked Kíli teasingly, " Because right now that does not seem to be the case..."

" I know where we are supposed to meet them, and yes I do know the way!"

" A rough idea or do you _know_ it?"

" Ehh, let's say I know most of it!" He smiled, his pony now walking next to her horse.

After a while of silence her expression changed from amused to rather bitter. " We have to cross a part of Mirkwood..."

" We could go around it!" Kíli suggested.

" We would lose far too much time, we need to cross it."

Kíli frowned, " Last time we tried to cross it we got lost and arrested. I doubt that going through Mirkwood is worth it."

" But we met because you were foolish enough to cross it without any help." She smiled. " We will most likely not get lost this time."

Kíli looked at his hands and fell silent for a while before he dared to say what he was thinking. " You know, now that you are human it will try to kill you as well."

" I am well aware of that, but I am most certain that I am still able to find the way, even with the air clouding my mind."

" I know you can, I simply do not like the thought of you having to go there. I can tell it makes you uncomfortable."

" Not the forest makes me uncomfortable, but the fact that I am banished. If they catch us, we will end up in Thranduil's dungeons again."

" I would much rather end up in his wine cellar." Kíli chuckled to brighten the mood.

" Last time you did after all... By the way how did Bilbo manage to steal the keys from the guard in charge?"  
" I have absolutely no idea..." Kíli answered honestly. " Back then I assumed we were your responsibility, not some lower guard's... Why did you even come down there the night we talked? As far as I recall it was the feast of starlight, so why were you down there if it was not your task?"

" Dwarfs do not often cross the borders of the woodland realm... Despite Thranduil's hate for your kin, I found myself rather interested in you."

" In _me_-you or in _us_-you?" He teased, winking at her.

" Maybe a bit of both..." She smiled slightly and looked at her hands at first, then at the landscape around them. The early sun rays illuminated the world in a soft pinkish light and made her hair glow like fire.

" You know, you left quite the impression on me when you took down all those spiders..." Kíli said after a few minutes.

" And you surprised me by meeting me with interest and kindness rather than hate and hostility."

" Why would I, I did not even know you!" Kíli smiled. " I assume I am bad at being a dwarf for that matter... Prejudice is simply not my thing."

" What is your thing then?" She chuckled. " I have something in mind but I would much rather have you tell me!"

" Oh there is a lot... But friendliness is pretty high in the rank."

" I have never been good at being an elf either..."

" Oh no, you certainly have! You were just as amazing as you are now..." He grinned at her. " Besides, you were- and still are- a highly skilled warrior."

" I was good at being a warrior, but that does not mean that I was good at being an elf."

" What do you mean?" Kíli frowned, intrigued to learn more about this.

" I want to do what is right, but it more often than not disagreed with the rules and laws. I was supposed to value the law more than my own judgment."

" And that made you a bad elf?"

" That is only the beginning to a long list of failure." She smiled at him, " It does not matter for it is all in the past."

" It does matter to me, I want to know what your life looked like before we met!"

" Believe me, it was much different." She responded with a sigh, " I may not have lived as long as most of Mirkwood's elves, but long enough to dread the ordinary life."

" I cannot imagine what an ordinary life would look like for you..."

" For hundreds of years, I have been doing my duties without ever complaining. I was exactly who I was expected to be, a good guard, loyal, always following the king's order."

" Why do I sense a 'but' somewhere in there..." Kíli said as she did not continue the story.

" Perhaps the only difference between me and others is that I always expected more of life. I wanted to see the world that lies beyond the borders I was forbidden to cross. That's perhaps my only sin."

" That's not a sin..." He answered with a small smile.

" I was supposed to be grateful for what I had, not demanding more."

" If we didn't demand more of life, where would we be today? It's the people who demand more that bring the greatest change to the world after all."

" When I first met you, I got a glimpse of what life could be like. It mesmerized me, and eventually it lead me to you..." She smiled at him, " You are everything I have ever wanted of life. A bit of adventure, a bit of freedom, a bit of love..."

" Mahal, could you two just stop being all doting?!" Glóin behind them groaned.

" I think they are adorable..." Ori returned as a defense.

Tauriel turned to look at the three dwarfs behind her and then at Kíli.

" Be nice or you don't get dinner tonight." Kíli said with raised eyebrows and an especially serious expression, causing everyone to burst out in laughter.

" Careful lad, I can take ya' out with my hands behind my back!" Glóin snorted, but a testing glare from Tauriel made him fall silent.

" Are you so certain about that?" She asked teasingly.

" I wouldn't make a bet against you..." He said carefully. " Though I'd like to see how ya' do without that bow and daggers..."

Tauriel shot Kíli a quick glare, her eyes telling him to not say one word about their experiment the previous night. Kíli on the other hand grinned and winked at her suspiciously.

" I could give you a glimpse of what happens when she has no weapons at hand..." He said to Glóin, but his eyes remained locked with Tauriel's.

" How dare you!" She exclaimed, hiding a laughter.

" Whoops..." Kíli frowned and sped off, making his pony run as fast as it possibly could. Immediately Tauriel chased after him and only heard the other three chuckle in the distance.

In no time she had caught up with Kíli and raced past him, only giving him a teasing wave with her hand. A few minutes later she stopped though, waiting for the others to catch up.

" Still unfair..." Kíli mumbled as stopped next to her.

" Yes, I have the horse and you have the pony, I know." She chuckled, " We can very well switch if you want to..."

" You would?" He grinned.

" For a few minutes, why not..." She sighed and gracefully rose to stand on the back of her horse. Keeping her balance was more difficult than she had imagined, but with a bit of struggle she managed to keep standing.

" Careful there!" Kíli said with a worried look at her and then jumped off his pony. Tauriel nodded and made a step down onto the pony below her. It moved and she had to told onto her horse to stay in balance, but instead of easily sitting down, the gap between her horse and the pony widened and she found herself right in the middle.

" Tauriel, just jump off!" Kíli pleaded from the side.

But she didn't want to give up yet, and thus she shifted all her weight forward, landing across the pony's back while her horse backed off.

" Was that really worth it?" Kíli asked with a chuckle as Tauriel shifted to sit up.

" Well, it must have been quite entertaining for you at least..." She mumbled in return.

" If I wasn't so worried about you I might enjoy it, yes."

" You wanted the horse, so now climb up!" She teased him.

With more effort than he let on, Kíli got onto the horse and found himself just a few inches higher than Tauriel. " A completely new perspective..."

" Indeed it is..."

" What are you two up to again..." Dwalin sighed a few minutes later as they reached Kíli and Tauriel. " Mahal, and you want to lead a troop of a thousand dwarfs?"

" Can't say I want to, but I have to however." Kíli sighed.

They went on riding to the west, their playful banter rising along with the sun. Around noon, Kíli brought the horse to a stop though.

" Can we please switch again, this horse certainly does not like me!" He said to Tauriel with a slight pout. Grinning she jumped off the pony and winked at him, " Most certainly..."

" Do you want to rest?" He asked into the small group, holding onto the rein of the pony.

" We have only been going for a few hours, I doubt that we should rest now." Dwalin answered his question, and as the others agreed Kíli got back onto the pony and they went on.

" We should take a short rest right before we enter Mirkwood." Tauriel said to Kíli, leaning to him so that only he would hear her suggestion. " While we cross it we need to keep going, no stop, no rest. Besides, I have to see which way is the best to take."

" Alright, whatever you say." He smiled, " I told you I had no idea about commanding such an undertaking, so it is entirely up to you."

" But if you can make them believe that you know what you are doing they will stop making fun of you. It is important indeed, if you really are to lead a thousand people home they need to accept you and trust your commands."  
" Do I even want to know how you learned this?"

" The hard way, believe me..." She chuckled, " I know that you could do this all without me, you only need to believe in yourself!"

" But you are here, and even if I could give commands, I still could give the wrong ones."

" Do not worry, _melleth nín_, we will continue our plan as discussed. We decide together, and then you pass it on to everyone."

" Thank you, really..." He smiled and looked at her for a long moment, " I have no idea what I would do without you, beside the fact that I would have died a long time ago..."

" Well, to our luck you will never have to find out!" She grinned, " I will with you, in life and in death."

That suddenly brought a new thought to Kíli. " Aren't you afraid at all of the finiteness of a mortal life? Afraid of death?"

" I prefer living a limited but happy life with you over spending an eternity alone... So no, I am not afraid of death." She said positively, but deep down he could tell that this was not the whole story. He decided to let it go though. Behind them Dwalin and Glóin were fighting over who carried more weapons, while Ori tried to calm them down.

Tauriel chuckled at the numbers they exclaimed and even Kíli could tell that there was no way the numbers could be accurate.

" Ya' all should see how many knifes Tauriel has..." Kíli interrupted them.

" And that are only the ones you know about..." She winked at him in return, thinking about the envelope that was just as well hidden as her weapons. " Actually I carry quite few."

" Name a number!" Glóin demanded.

" Most likely twenty or so!" Kíli answered.

" All I carry is my bow, two daggers and a very small number of knifes." She corrected, and then smiled to herself, " You should never tell exactly how many weapons you carry, for you never know who might want to take them from you."

" See, the lass is smarter than you two fools!" Ori laughed at Glóin and Dwalin and grumbling they ended their argument.

An hour later they reached the borders of the woodland realm, and Mirkwood lay directly in front of them. Even in the soft sunlight of the afternoon, no light reached the forest floor. The trees created a dark and uninviting cave, and Tauriel was surprised to find every sense in her telling her to flee. The place that once had been a home to her was now telling her in every possible was to stay away.

They stood at the border for a while, taking a last rest before they would enter this utterly destructive place.

" Are you alright?" Kíli asked as he stood next to her, taking her hands into his.

" We are passing through the kingdom, the chances that they will find us are high. If they do, you will be arrested for entering the kingdom without permission. Maybe they even let you go since our journey is no threat to anyone. But if they find me... I am most likely dead." She said quietly and Kíli's heart sank a little, may it be for the awaiting danger or for her obvious discomfort.

" Is there anything we can do to not get caught?" He asked with hope in his eyes.

She lifted her head and looked at him with a serious expression that worried him.

" Do you trust me?"

_**To be continued...**_

* * *

**Yeah, the journey begins! **

**First burden: crossing Mirkwood!**

**Next chapter we'll have: their way through Mirkwood! (What would you do with a forest that tries to kill you, in addition to a bunch of elves with the same aim?!)**

**Hope you liked this chapter and will let me know if you do! (I can really use a Little motivation right now, so even if it's just a word you'd really make me happy!)**

**Stay tuned for our journey ;)**


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